TRINITY EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
  • Home
    • Missions
    • Swaddling Clothes
  • What We Believe
    • Christian Education: Sunday School and Catechism Program
    • Baptism
    • Worship
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
  • Sermons
  • Calendar
  • Choir

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

The Sacraments Prove that Christ is Compassionate and Generous

7/19/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Giovanni Lanfranco, Miracle of the Loaves and the Fish, 1620-1623, Public Domain.
Trinity 7 
Mark 8:1-9 
Pastor James Preus 
Trinity Lutheran Church 
July 18, 2021 
 
Let us pray, “The eyes of all look to you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Amen.  


What is a Sacrament? A Sacrament is a means of grace, which includes a visible element joined to God’s Word. A Sacrament delivers God’s grace and forgiveness for Christ’s sake. This grace and forgiveness given in a Sacrament is received through faith alone. So, Baptism is a Sacrament. The visible element is the water. Yet, not all water in the world is a Baptism. You are not baptized every time you take a bath or go out in the rain. Added to the water must be the word of God, that is, the command and promise of Christ. Then the water becomes a Baptism, that is, a washing of regeneration and a renewal by the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is also a Sacrament. The visible elements are the bread and the wine. Yet, not every time you eat bread are you eating the body of Christ, nor every time that you drink wine are you consuming Christ’s blood. The words of Christ must be added. Then, the meal is not simply bread and wine, but the very body that was nailed to the cross and the blood poured for the forgiveness of all sins, consumed in a supernatural way with the bread and wine, giving forgiveness and salvation to all who believe.  


Genesis chapter two gives us a helpful illustration to how this works. God planted the Garden of Eden and placed Adam in the midst of it, telling him that he could eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden. Yet, two trees were different. There was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Not every tree in the garden gave the knowledge of good and evil and not every tree in the garden made one live forever. Yet, to these two trees God added his word. This is why God forbade Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and why he banished Adam and Eve from the garden after they did, so that they would not eat of the tree of life.  


Why does Christ Jesus give us Sacraments? Why doesn’t he simply speak to us? Our Gospel lesson tells us why. Jesus has compassion on us. Compassion is an attribute of God. He pities us in our distress. Even before we realize the trouble we are in, God sees it and makes a plan to help us. That is why Jesus instituted the Sacraments.  


When God created Adam, he did not simply make another animal of flesh. Nor did he make another angel without a body. God made a unique creature, a person with a physical body and an immortal soul. That is what Scripture teaches us when it says that God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.  


And so, when mankind fell into sin and God desired to send a Savior, his Son did not become an angel, but a human being, born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ, who is true God from eternity, is also true man. He has a physical body like we do. He also has a human soul. He loved the Lord God with all his human heart, soul, and mind so to fulfill the Law for us. And when he suffered for us on the cross, he not only bore the scourge on his human body, but his human soul endured the punishment of hell for the souls of all mankind. This makes Jesus a true Savior for all people.  


And this also helps us understand God’s purpose in the sacraments. Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) Jesus is the bread of life, of which whoever eats will live forever. And this eating is done through faith alone. Faith is an activity of the heart. Why then does Jesus give us something to eat and drink? Why does he say, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved?” (Mark 16:16) It is for the sake of our faith. It is because he has compassion on us and wants us to be thoroughly comforted in his mercy.  


When God baptized you and the water was poured on your skin, God was telling you that he desires to save not only your soul, but your body. Just as Jesus’ body was made wet by the waters of the Jordan when he was baptized by John and then rose from the dead imperishable after his crucifixion, so we who are baptized are buried with Christ, so that we might rise with him. The water touching our bodies tells us that this is a promise of a real resurrection. Our bodies will be raised imperishable, just as Jesus’ body is. As our souls live forever, so will our bodies with Christ our Savior.  


Likewise, when the body of Christ is put in your mouth and you drink his blood, you receive in your body him, who rose bodily from the dead and is ascended in glory to the Father’s right hand. So too will our bodies rise and ascend to be with him. Unlike what some accuse us Lutherans of teaching, we do not believe that Jesus’ body and blood are torn apart when we eat the Sacrament, but that we receive Christ’s body and blood in a supernatural way without harming him. And so, as our bodies have received the supernatural, they shall be like him who rules over nature forever.  


Jesus gives us the Sacraments, because he is generous. When Jesus waited three days before he fed the crowd, he taught them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The multitude sought first the kingdom of God and its righteousness by hanging on to the words of Jesus. And all the rest was added unto them. Their bellies were filled and their strength revived for their journey home. By using what was available, seven loaves and a few small fish, instead of raining bread down from heaven or turning rocks into bread, Jesus showed that while the mouths of all are satisfied from God’s most gracious hand, God expects them to work to earn their bread. Yet, despite these two lessons, Jesus proved himself to be generous, and so proved himself to be God.  


People worry a lot about food. That makes sense. Food is one of our most immediate needs. We can’t live long without food. Toward the end of the 18th century, Thomas Malthus postulated that the human population would always grow faster than the ability to grow food to feed that population, and so he advocated for population control. This of course was contrary to God’s word. The human population when Malthus lived was under one billion people. The population today is closing in on eight billion, yet there is a smaller percentage of the population going hungry today than at any time in human history. Malthus was wrong. God opened his hands and satisfied the desires of every living thing.  


Only a month ago, our farmers were looking at their dry fields with wrinkled foreheads, praying that God would send rain. And did he send rain? He sure did. And as God provides for the physical needs of our human race and causes the food to grow in more and more abundance, even more does he provide for our salvation. Jesus had the crowd wait three days before he filled their bellies, because he had something more important to give them. Was he stingy in that which is more important? By no means. The Gospel is our most important bread. And the Gospel shows that God loves us abundantly. If God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  


Water covers most of the earth’s surface. People do not live where there is no water. So, God joined his promise to water, so that we would know that he generously pours the Holy Spirit upon us and washes away our sins. Bread is the most common food on earth. Wine is plentiful. So, Jesus joined his word and promise to bread and wine, so that we would know that his body and blood would never run out to forgive our sins.  


There were four thousand men (Matthew tells us not including the women and children). Four is the number of the earth, with its four winds. One thousand is the number for completeness. Jesus truly fed this great multitude, but the number teaches us that Christ provides for all people everywhere. Although they only started with seven loaves of bread, they had seven large baskets full of bread when they were done. Seven is the number of the Church. This shows that Christ has given his Church an inexhaustible supply of himself, the Bread of Life. As the earth must not worry about becoming over populated, because God has promised that he will continue feeding us, so Christ promises to continue to pour his grace upon us as long as the sun and moon exist. As the fields continue to surpass the need to supply bread for the mouths of the growing population, so much more will Christ meet the demand to satisfy our hunger.  


When I was a child, we would ask our mother what’s for dinner. We’d get annoyed when our father would say, “Dinner? We fed you yesterday. Do you mean we have to feed you every day?” Of course, they had to feed us every day. We get hungry every day! If we don’t keep eating, we will die. And so, it is for our eternal life. We went to church last week. We heard the Gospel then. We received the Sacrament then. But what have we done in between? We’ve sinned. We neglected our prayers. We trusted in earthly things, rather than him in heaven who blesses the earth. We’ve lusted, coveted, hated, slandered, gotten drunk, cursed, sworn, been lazy, fought, been impatient and selfish, and whatever other breaking of a commandment you can add. Although we’ve been washed clean, we soil ourselves. Although we’ve eaten and drunk, we’ve exhausted ourselves in the fray. Although we were set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness, we have turned to obey our former master and gotten ensnared again. We need to be washed. We need to be forgiven. We need to be fed and strengthened. 
 

So, we come to church and hear God’s servant forgive our sins in the stead and by the command of Christ. We hear the Gospel, which is food for our souls. And, because Christ Jesus is compassionate, and because our Jesus is especially generous, he feeds us his very body for bread and his blood for wine. He lets you know that he does not intend to leave your body dead and rotten in the grave, but that he will raise you up to new life. He tells you that your sins are personally forgiven. He strengthens you for your pilgrimage ahead. And he lets you know that this source of heavenly food will never run out.  


Let us pray,  


  Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer, Pilgrim through this barren land.  
I am weak, but Thou are mighty; Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand.  
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more;  
Feed me till I want no more.” Amen.   
0 Comments

God provides the food of eternal life for the entire world.

7/30/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Trinity 7 
Mark 8:1-9 

July 26, 2020 
 
Our Lord Jesus fed 4,000 people with just seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. St. Matthew tells us that the 4,000 didn’t even include the women and children. This miracle shows us that Jesus is God, who opens his hands and satisfies the desires of every living thing. This shows us that God will provide for our bodies. As the birds of the air need not worry, neither do we. Our heavenly Father knows what we need and he will provide for us. This also teaches us that we should seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, because God will add all the rest of our needs to us. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. God cares for our bodies so generously, so that we will not worry but will look to him for our spiritual and eternal needs.  
Yet, didn’t we learn this very lesson not too long ago? Indeed, we heard nearly an identical story just four months ago when Jesus fed the 5,000 with just five barley loaves and two small fish and they had twelve baskets left over. Is this an accidental repetition? Perhaps Jesus fed a large crowd of people; some said it was 5,000 and others said it was 4,000, so we are really just reviewing the exact same story? No. In fact, Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 men and a short time later he fed another crowd of 4,000 men. Both St. Matthew and St. Mark report both of these miracles in their Gospel accounts and Jesus reminds his disciples of both of these feedings later on in this same chapter of Mark.  
Yet, why do Matthew and Mark record both of these miraculous feasts? St. John only records the feeding of the 5,000. Aren’t these two miracles similar enough, that they could have recorded just one or the other. Certainly, Jesus performed many other miracles that are not listed in the Gospels (John 21:25). And why did the ancients deem it necessary to record both of these feedings in the lectionary, so that we hear them both every year?  
Well, certainly the main emphasis of both of these stories is worth repeating. God will provide for your physical needs and he wants you to seek from him even more your eternal spiritual needs. Yet, as similar as these two stories are, they are not identical.  
The feeding of the 5,000 was primarily a feeding of Jews. Jesus fed them with five loaves of bread. The five loaves of bread symbolized the five books of Moses, which make up the Torah. There were twelve baskets of fragments left over, which symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel. Even the Greek word for basket was distinct from the word for basket used with the 4,000. These baskets referred to containers used in Jewish ceremonies. This feeding of the 5,000 Israelites demonstrated that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy from Deuteronomy 18, which stated that God would raise up a prophet like Moses from among the Jews. As God fed the people of Israel bread from heaven in the wilderness through Moses, so now Jesus, who is greater than Moses feeds God’s people.  
The feeding of the 4,000 is different. Jesus uses seven loaves of bread and seven baskets of bread are left over. The number seven can symbolize completeness. It could also represent the seven Gentile nations around Israel. The place where this feeding takes place is populated with many Gentiles, as shown right before this miracle when Jesus meets the Canaanite woman as he left the region of Tyre and Sidon. So, while the feeding of the 5,000 shows that Jesus is the Messiah promised to the Jewish people, the feeding of the 4,000 shows that Jesus did not come only for the Jews, but for people of all nations.  
This of course is wonderful news for us and all people around the world. You do not have to follow your genealogical line to discover whether God’s mercy is meant for you. We marvel that God fed the nation of Israel in the wilderness for forty year without them putting a plow to the ground or planting any seed. Yet, we should also mark that God continued to provide food for all nations around the world, clothing and sheltering them as well. When God cares for the body of people, he shows that he cares for them. It is a sign that he desires also to save their souls. You won’t trust in a god for your eternal salvation if he is unable to provide for you temporal needs. So, God provides for the needs of all people everywhere, to show his desire to save both their bodies and souls forever.  
Of course, this lesson is consistent with all of Scripture. God told Abraham, the father of the people of Israel, that in his seed all nations of the earth would be blest. And St. Paul repeatedly declares that God shows no partiality and makes no distinction between Jew and Gentile, but rather all are children of Abraham and of God himself through faith in Jesus. And by feeding this great crowd of Gentiles, Jesus shows that he comes to feed the bread of life to all peoples everywhere. The number four represents the four winds, which go across the whole earth. The number 1,000 represents completeness. By feeding 4,000 Gentiles, Jesus shows that God has compassion on all people and desires to satisfy their every need.  
If you do not believe that God will satisfy the wants of your body now in this temporal life, you will never believe that God will provide eternal life for you. If God cannot do a little work, he certainly cannot do a mighty work. So, with every meal you eat that fills your belly, God wants to remind you that he desires to feed your soul as well. When you put on your clothes and fall asleep under your roof, he wants you to know that he cares for you beyond what you can see or feel. Because, it is not food for your belly or clothes for your body, which are your greatest need, but the teaching of Christ, which gives you eternal life.  
After Jesus fed the 5,000 Jews the Jews searched for him, because they wanted more bread. They were disappointed when Jesus wanted rather to feed them the Bread of Life from heaven, which gives eternal salvation to all who feast on him in faith. This is the curse of our mortal bodies. We focus on the temporal needs of the body and fret over them, as if our fretting ever gave us a morsel to eat, and we ignore the greater gift God seeks to give us. Likewise, shortly after Jesus fed the 4,000, he told his disciples to beware of the false teaching of the Pharisees by telling them to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees. His disciples began to bicker, because they had only packed on loaf of bread and did not have enough for everyone. Jesus marveled at their lack of faith. They had just witnessed him feed a crowd of 5,000 and then a crowd of 4,000 with just a handful of bread, yet here they worried about not having enough bread. Jesus did these signs, so that they would focus on his teaching rather than worry about their next meal! So difficult it is for us to focus on what is most important and stop fretting over that which God has already taken care of.  
And we need to learn this lesson today. What should you be most concerned about today? Money to pay your bills and feed your family? Your job? The economy? Our nation? What you will eat, wear, and where you will live? Has God not already shown you over and over and over again that he will provide all these things for you? What then does God want you to be concerned for? Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees. Beware of false teaching. Make sure that you are learning the pure word of God. That is your most pressing need. It is always your most pressing need. The Bread of Life from heaven will be lost if you follow false teachings invented by men. That you cannot afford to lose. But the food you need for your body? Don’t worry about that. God already knows how he will provide that for you, as he has already shown you many times before. Sure, he may make you wait as the crowd waited three days before Jesus satisfied their physical hunger. They desired more the food for the soul, and for that they were rewarded.  
The leaven of the Pharisees covers up Christ Jesus and his work of salvation for you. The Pharisees focused on their own outward works instead of trusting in the mercy of God promised in his Son. They despised the sacrifice Christ made for the sins of the whole world. As Jesus told his disciples to watch out for this leaven, which will poison the loaf and make it no good, so he tells us today to beware of false prophets and their teaching. Beware of anything that covers up Christ Jesus and distracts you from him.  
It is common today to try not to focus on the different teachings of different groups, but rather focus on how we all love the same Jesus. Some even go so far as to say that as long as we believe in God, that it doesn’t matter what else we believe, claiming Christians, Muslims, and Jews worship the same God. But such simplifying of religion does not reveal Christ as the only Savior, but covers up him and his work. It puts a muzzle on Jesus, so that we cannot learn from him. And since not everyone can agree on what Jesus has done, they focus not on Jesus’ work, but on their own works. The mission of the church is then changed into carrying for people's bodies instead of carrying for people’s souls. Now, Christians should certainly help to provide for the needy. As God has been generous to us, so ought we to be generous to others. But the mission of the Church is to feed the souls of sinners. Only the Bread of Life, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a sacrifice for all our sins can feed the souls of the world.  
To listen to Jesus and to learn from him takes faith. You must believe and trust that God will provide for your physical needs, so that you look to be fed spiritually as well. And you must trust that the words that Jesus says are true and important for you to believe and confess. In this lesson, Jesus shows that God will always provide for the needs of our body, even if we must wait for him. And he shows us that our greatest need in this life is to listen to him, to believe what he says, to trust in his promises, and to pay attention to reject any teaching that rejects or covers up Christ. If we learn to so trust in Jesus, we will find that we will be satisfied in both body and soul. Amen.  
0 Comments

Trinity 7: Free from Sin:Slave of God

7/30/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Romans 6:(15-18) 19-23 
July 30, 2017 
 
Last week we learned that we are all sinners, who fall short of the glory of God, and that we cannot by our own works earn the righteousness required to enter eternal life. But rather we are saved by grace (that is a gift from God) through faith in Jesus Christ alone, who gives us his own righteousness. You cannot save yourself. God saves you without your works and despite your sin.  

Since we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone without our works, does this mean that we can then continue to sin? Do we describe our relationship with God in this way: "I like to sin, God likes to forgive, so I just go on sinning."? Certainly no one could actually believe such a thing! Yet many behave as if this is true and many others slanderously accuse Christians, particularly Lutherans of teaching this (Romans 3:8).  

Yet we heard St. Paul address this very topic last week in our Epistle Lesson. He writes, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:1-4) and later St. Paul concludes, "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (vs. 11) 

And this week, immediately before the start of our Epistle Lesson St. Paul again argues, "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:15-18) 

St. Paul is not simply using figurative language. In Baptism you all died to sin. Sin previously ruled over your bodies from your very conception. We were all dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) and because of this we were incapable of doing anything good or pleasing to God (1 Cor. 2:14). In Baptism you were put to death with Christ, so that your sins would be drowned in his blood. This isn't simply a metaphor. No, your heart didn't stop beating nor did your soul depart your lifeless body. But you did die and come back to life. In a much realer way than you can imagine. Scripture calls it a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit really did come to you and change you in a remarkable way. He woke you from your sleep of death in sin. You were by nature incapable of choosing God or doing anything but sin. The Holy Spirit changed you, so that you can live in Christ; today, tomorrow, and forever. Your new life cannot be separated from Christ Jesus. Otherwise you would fall back into the pit of sinful death.  

Likewise, it is not simply a figure of speech that we were slaves to sin. A slave must be obedient to his master. Paul makes perfect sense when he tells us, "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey?"  You were born a slave to sin. And whenever you sin you enter into servitude to sin.  
People think freedom is having the choice to do whatever you want; freedom to eat and drink what you want, to marry whomever you want, to say whatever you want, to do whatever you delight in doing. But Scripture makes clear that this is not freedom. It is not freedom to sin. Rather, sin is your slave master. You are not free if you do whatever you want independent of what God says or what is in the best interest of your neighbor. If you follow the desires of your heart or the course of this world, you are not free, but a slave.  

When Christ set you free from slavery to sin he did not break your bonds so that you could continue to serve your former master. He freed you so that you could serve him! This is why the Holy Spirit has stirred your heart, giving you a new birth of the Spirit! We should all cling tightly to our hero, who set us free from our bondage! As that great hymn declares, "Lord, Thee I love with all my heart; I pray Thee, ne'er from me depart, with tender mercy cheer me. Earth has no pleasure I would share. Yeah heav'n itself were void and bare If Thou, Lord, wert not near me. And should my heart for sorrow break, My trust in Thee can nothing shake. Thou art the portion I have sought; Thy precious blood my soul has bought. Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord, Forsake me not! I trust thy Word!"  

Christ has rescued us from a terrible situation. We could not control our own bodies, but were slaves to sin leading to death and hell. And Christ broke the bands of our sin. He freed us and gave us eternal life. And so we should want to hold fast to Jesus! A moment away from him should be a terror to us. Because if we leave Christ we will soon be enslaved again, to serve the flesh and Satan, and be doomed to hell.  

Many treat Christ as if he is a hated, yet wealthy uncle. He dies and leaves you a great inheritance. You still hate him, but figure since he made you rich you'll raise a toast for him once a year. But that is in no way our relationship with Christ. Christ made us alive so that we might walk in him. He freed us from slavery, so that we might serve him. We should love Jesus our Savior and hate bitterly our sins for which we are ashamed.  

"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God." To be set free from sin means to become a slave of God. If you are not a slave of God you are a slave of sin. This seems like a contradiction, but it is not. True freedom is to be a slave of God. Because if you do not obey God and his righteousness then you are obeying sin. Either sin is your master or God is.  

This might not make you feel good. Who wants to be a slave? I want to be free! But slavery to God is the greatest freedom. Because the will of God is always good. Slavery to sin leads to unhappiness, shame, and death. Slavery to God leads to blessedness, a clear conscience, and eternal life. Sin demands that you serve it to your own hurt and the hurt of those around you. God demands that you love him, who died for you and rescued you from death. Sin cares nothing for your neighbor and knows nothing of love. God is love and demands that if you love him you must also love your neighbor.  

But aren't we God's children? How can we be God's slave if we are his children? Yes, we are God's children through faith and Baptism. And Christ Jesus is our brother. And we the Church are Christ's holy Bride and he is our Bridegroom. But we should not shy away from the title, "slave of God." The Virgin Mary herself, who will forever be known as the Mother of God, because her son according to the flesh, Jesus Christ, is at the same time God, even Mary spoke to the angel Gabriel when he told her she would bear the Savior, "Behold, I am the slave of the Lord; Let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38) 

When we call ourselves slaves of God we do not mean it in a derogatory way or to imply that God is a wicked slave master, who beats and terrorizes us. No, it means that we want more than anything in the world to do what God wants us to do. To be of service to God is our greatest joy.  

I am currently reading the Fellowship of the Rings, the first volume in the Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien. As in many good novels there are great relationships that develop among the characters. Perhaps my favorite one is Sam to Frodo. Sam is Frodo's servant. And throughout their adventure there is nothing that Sam wants to do more than to serve Frodo, to help him, to be at his side in danger or in safety. It's a beautiful relationship, because it illustrates in a small way our relationship with God. We should want to always be with him. This means we want to hear his Word and learn it. To receive his absolution and the Lord's Supper. This should be our greatest delight. This means we should want to serve our neighbor, to help those who are in need, to speak well of others, and to show them the love God has shown us in Jesus.  

Yet most people do not think this way. It is a little thing for them to forego hearing God's word preached for weeks, months, or years. They don't hunger for God's forgiveness or Christ's body and blood. In short, they think the Gospel isn't a big deal. There are more important things than Christ and his forgiveness. If you don't pay your electric bill your electricity will be shut off. If you don't show up to work you'll lose your job. And the church isn't going anywhere. "I can always find Jesus when I need him." People think the Gospel isn't a big deal, because they think their sin is not a big deal. But Scripture makes clear, the wages of sin is death. And this is not simply death of the body. This is eternal damnation. Our sins are serious. And for this reason it is more important for us to hear the Gospel and to be in the service of God than to pay our bills or work or relax or whatever else we think is more important.  

The crowd of 4,000 were with Jesus in a desolate place for three days and they didn't have anything to eat. They clearly weren't thinking about their earthly needs. We'd call them irresponsible. Jesus calls them faithful. They sought after what was more important than food or any other treasure in this life. They wanted to be with Jesus, to hear his words that give eternal life. And as Jesus promised, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and the rest will be added unto you," he also provided for their physical needs. He fed them to their fill.  

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Notice how St. Paul didn't say that the wages of sin is death, but the wages of good works is eternal life in Christ Jesus.  You earn your death and damnation with your sins. You do not earn eternal life in Christ by your works. Eternal life is a free gift. Yes, it is your duty as a Christian, as a slave of God to do good works. Yet, if ever we were to misconstrue our duty to do good works as a mission to earn eternal life, we would fall into despair.  

We do not serve God in hopes that if we are good enough we will go to heaven. We serve God, because he has rescued us from death and hell. We cling close to our master, because he gives us a clean conscience no matter the sins of our past. We cling to God, because when we sin he always forgives us.  

The Gospel is the greatest teaching in the world. It tells us that Jesus bore our sin on the cross. Sometimes we glaze over those words. What do they mean? What do you think of when you think of Jesus bearing your sins? It means Jesus felt your suffering, sin, and shame. He died to your sins, washing them away in his own blood. This isn't just rhetoric. Jesus knows exactly how you feel. In fact, he felt the guilt you would feel over your sins if you could possible comprehend their weight.  
​

You are no longer a slave of sin, because Christ has set you free. And even in your weekly and daily life, Christ defeats sin for you and in you. By the power of his Holy Spirit you overcome temptation. And by the power of his blood you are forgiven when you fall. This is why you cling to Christ. He gives you life. This is why you strive to do good. Not to earn your salvation, but to serve him who won for you salvation. To cling to Christ your God, to be bound to him is the greatest freedom. Amen. ​
0 Comments

    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. 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016

    Categories

    All
    Advent 1
    Advent 2
    Advent 3
    Advent 4
    All Saints Day
    Angels
    Ascension
    Ash Wednesday
    Baptism Of Our Lord
    Christmas 1
    Christmas 2
    Christmas Day
    Christmas Eve
    Circumcision And Name Of Jesus
    Confirmation
    Easter 2
    Easter 3
    Easter 4
    Easter 5
    Easter 6
    Easter Sunday
    Easter Vigil
    Epiphany
    Epiphany 1
    Epiphany 2
    Epiphany 3
    Epiphany 4
    Exaudi (Sunday After Ascension)
    Funeral
    Good Friday
    Good Shepherd
    Last Sunday
    Lent 1
    Lent 2
    Lent 3
    Lent 4
    Lent 5
    Lenten Services
    Maundy Thursday
    Means Of Grace Lenten Series
    Name Of Jesus
    Nativity Of St. John The Baptist
    Palm Sunday
    Pentecost
    Presentation Of Our Lord
    Quasimodogeniti
    Quinquagesima
    Reformation Day
    Robert Preus
    Second Last Sunday
    Septuagesima
    Sexagesima
    St. James Of Jerusalem
    St. Michael And All Angels
    St Stephen
    Thanksgiving
    Transfiguration
    Trinity
    Trinity 1
    Trinity 10
    Trinity 11
    Trinity 12
    Trinity 13
    Trinity 14
    Trinity 15
    Trinity 16
    Trinity 17
    Trinity 18
    Trinity 19
    Trinity 2
    Trinity 20
    Trinity 21
    Trinity 22
    Trinity 24
    Trinity 25
    Trinity 26
    Trinity 27
    Trinity 3
    Trinity 4
    Trinity 5
    Trinity 6
    Trinity 7
    Trinity 8
    Trinity 9
    Trinity Sunday

    RSS Feed

© 2017  www.trinitylutheranottumwa.com
  • Home
    • Missions
    • Swaddling Clothes
  • What We Believe
    • Christian Education: Sunday School and Catechism Program
    • Baptism
    • Worship
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
  • Sermons
  • Calendar
  • Choir