Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Home
    • Missions
    • Swaddling Clothes
  • What We Believe
    • Christian Education: Sunday School and Catechism Program
    • Baptism
    • Worship >
      • Online Services
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
    • Sermons
    • Sermons 2015-2016
  • Trinity Trumpet Newsletter
  • Trinity Trumpet Calendar

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

A Case for Pure Doctrine

8/13/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Christ Denouncing False Prophets and Pharisees: Illustration to Matthew 7: 15-21, 1530s, Daniel Hopfer, German, metmuseum.org, Public Domain
Matthew 7:15-23 
August 11, 2019 
 
Should we care about pure doctrine? Should we pursue it? Well, first, what is pure doctrine. You know what it means to be pure. Your water purifier purifies your water by taking out all the stuff, the chemicals and microbes that you don’t want to consume, out of your water. Silver is purified when all the dross is removed from it. Doctrine means teaching. So, pure doctrine refers to teaching that is true; teaching that doesn’t have any foreign stuff in it; teaching that agrees fully with our Lord Jesus Christ.  
We’re concerned about purity when we shop for our food. Everywhere in the grocery store you find ads on boxes promising “No artificial ingredients,” “All natural,” and so forth. So, should we be concerned with the purity of our doctrine? It seems obvious, but most think that devotion to pure doctrine is too extreme. What’s really important is that we all love Jesus. That’s where the true unity is. But when you start focusing too much on doctrine and ask too many questions, like “Who is Jesus?”, and “What did he do?” and “What exactly does he teach?” well, then we start to get divided. People are concerned that when you focus too much on pure doctrine then instead of Jesus being this great source of unity, he becomes a sword that divides households and sets sons against fathers, daughters against mothers, and daughters-in-law against mothers-in-law. 
But of course, we should be concerned with pure doctrine! Jesus tells us to. Christ commands us to beware of false prophets, who come in sheep’s clothing. And he tells us we will recognize them by their fruits. Their fruits are their teaching; their doctrine. If a preacher’s doctrine is not pure, Jesus tells you to mark and avoid him. Even in your Small Catechism you are taught that when you pray, “Hallowed be thy name.” you are praying that the word of God be taught in its truth and purity and that we as the children of God also lead holy lives according to it.  
Well, is that even possible? I mean, is it possible to have pure doctrine? Or are we setting ourselves up for a pipe dream to obtain the unobtainable? Well, of course it’s possible. Pure doctrine is not something you must obtain through your own great intelligence or hard work. Pure doctrine is a gift from God. God gave us pure doctrine when he gave us his holy Scriptures, which were caused to be written by the Holy Spirit himself, which are profitable for teaching, for reproof, and for training in righteousness. Pure doctrine was given to us as a gift, when the Word of God became flesh, fulfilled all Scriptures by dying and rising again for our salvation, and taught his Church that all Scripture teaches of him. Yes, pure doctrine is possible, because the God by whom all things are possible, who cannot lie and is the source of all truth has given us pure doctrine through the Holy Scriptures.  
Yet, you might object, “But lots of churches have the Holy Scriptures, yet they don’t all have the same teaching!” And this here is the source of great doubt, which causes many to say, “There are so many different churches, how can you possibly know which one, if any, teaches the truth? Can we Lutherans possibly make such a claim without being completely arrogant?” Well, yes, we can.  
Yes, there are innumerable churches that teach lots of different things. And even if you discount those church bodies that reject that the Bible is without errors, there are still many different churches, that all claim loyalty to the Scriptures. So, how do we know that we have the pure doctrine?  
First, you must understand that Scripture not only is the pure doctrine given by God, but it is the purifier of all doctrine. We heard God speak through Jeremiah, “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” God’s word is like the fire that melts the silver, so that the dross can be removed. God’s word is a hammer. Miners must crush rock to separate the valuable minerals from the waste. This is what God’s word does. When Scripture rules and is the source of all your teaching, your teaching is pure. Yet, when Scripture is ruled over, then your teaching is not pure.  
The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church both claim that the holy Scriptures are part of the tradition which the Church has handed down to us. This means that they deny that the holy Scriptures are the only source of pure doctrine. That is how they are able to deny that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from our works, even though Scripture clearly teaches this in Romans chapters 3 and 4, Ephesians 2, and other places. They give the Church the authority to interpret the Scriptures. Whatever the Church says the Scriptures mean, that is what they mean, even if the Church says the opposite of Scripture. In other words, they do not let the Scriptures act like a fire that removes all dross or a hammer that separates the waste. They place the Church and human traditions above the authority of the holy Scriptures.  
Although the protestant churches differ in many ways, they are all the same in one regard: they place human reason above the holy Scriptures. One example of this is the teaching, “The finite cannot contain the infinite.” This is a very simple statement. Finite means limited. A 20 oz bottle is finite. It can only contain 20 oz. If you try to pour 30 oz into it, it will over flow. The finite 20 oz bottle cannot contain an infinite amount of liquid. Human beings are also finite. A human can only be so big and can only be in one place at one time. This is true. So, protestant churches use this argument to prove that Jesus’ body and blood are not present in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus is a human being. True. A human being cannot be in more than one place at a time. Also, true. Therefore, they conclude that Jesus Christ cannot be present at numerous altars with his body and blood while also ruling at the right hand of God the Father.  
The problem is that this teaching is nowhere taught in Scripture. It is a logical syllogism, which contradicts the clear teaching of Jesus in holy Scripture. Holy Scripture teaches us that Jesus’ body and blood are given to Christians to eat and drink in the Sacrament. Human reason disputes this clear teaching. But if God’s word is a fire and hammer, then human reason must give way to the pure teaching of Scripture.  
You can be confident in what you have been taught in your Small Catechism, because the Small Catechism is not some additional teaching to the pure teaching of Scripture. Rather, the Small Catechism is the pure teaching of Christ, which has been purified by the fire and hammer of Scripture. It teaches what God’s word teaches without the dross of human reason or tradition.  
This is why we must always learn our Catechism. It is the job of every one of you to judge what I preach to you. Not to judge it based on your own personal preference or feelings, or thoughts, but to judge my preaching based on the pure word of God, which is clearly laid out for you in your Small Catechism. In order to recognize whether the fruit I dish out to you is good or bad, you must know what good fruit looks like. Your Catechism teaches you what good fruit is.  
Now, this is not to say that only those who belong to Lutheran congregations will go to heaven. You are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. There are many who belong to churches that do not have entirely pure doctrine, who still trust in Jesus Christ their Savior for forgiveness and salvation. Yet, just because you can be saved while attending a church that teaches falsely, does not mean that it doesn’t matter where you attend church and what teaching you listen to. Jesus warns against false teaching, because it is harmful.  
God speaks in Jeremiah concerning the false prophets, “So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.” False teaching does not profit you. It hurts you. The false prophets in Jeremiah’s day told the people that it would be well with them when they stubbornly followed their own hearts. I’m sure that made them feel good for a moment, but it did them no good. God remained displeased with their idolatry and sexual immorality and he punished them for it. The false prophets harmed the people they lied to by not warning them to repent! 
Would you go to a doctor, who would only give you a clean bill of health, even if you were sick? Do you want your dentist to lie to you and say you have no cavities while your teeth rot away? Would you be pleased with your lawyer if he told you, you had a winning case, even though he knew you would lose when you got to court? Of course, not! Then why would you want a preacher to lie to you in order to make you feel good?  
It is a sin to skip church. That is to despise God’s preaching and word. It is breaking the Third Commandment. But saying that upsets people. So, should we stop saying it? It would still be a sin. It is a sin to have sex outside of marriage. Couples should get married before they move in together. Scripture is abundantly clear on this. But saying that upsets people. So, should we stop saying it? Should we stop preaching the Ten Commandments, because we might offend someone? Many churches do. They have stopped condemning sin as sin, so as not to offend. Are they helping anyone? No. God tells us that refusing to preach the law does not profit anyone. Rather, it hurts sinners worse by not warning them to repent, so that they can receive forgiveness.  
Pure doctrine is important, because it gives true comfort. False teaching does not comfort you. Rather, it robs you of comfort. Why is it important that we teach that we are only saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone and not by our own works? Because if we trusted in our works, we would lose the comfort that Christ gives by dying for our sins. Does it matter whether we baptize babies or not? Or is it just a tradition we have? Yes, it does matter. Baptizing babies gives great comfort. It tells us that Baptism is God’s work, not ours. It assures us that God has washed away our sins and the sins of our little children. It assures us that God has given them faith even before they can speak. Denying baptism to babies denies them God’s grace and forgiveness. Yet, baptizing them gives them and their parents confidence in Christ.  
Does it matter whether Jesus’ true body and blood are present in the Lord’s Supper or not? Yes, it matters. If Jesus’ body and blood are not present in the Lord’s Supper, then we are just eating a remembrance meal out of obedience. It means the meal does not give us the forgiveness of sins. It means that we must judge Jesus’ teaching against our own reason. It means that Christ is as far away from us as the heavens are from the earth. But, if Jesus’ words are true and we can trust them even against our own eyes and reason, then we have confidence that Jesus is with us with his peace even today.  
Although, every one of us should continue to be a student of the Catechism and faithfully hear the word of God taught and preached regularly, you do not need to be a scholar for pure doctrine to benefit you. Pure doctrine benefits the newborn baby when he’s baptized just as it benefits the elderly grandmother in the hospital bed when she hears that Jesus died for her and that her sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. Pure doctrine benefits all who have faith in Christ, because pure doctrine gives Christ, his forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation.  
The other week I said that no one has died with greater certainty that he’ll go to heaven than the thief on the cross to whom Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Despite the fact that Jesus was nailed to the cross next to him as a condemned criminal, the man was confident enough to acknowledge that Jesus was the king of heaven and to ask him to remember him. And the pure words of Jesus gave this repentant criminal confidence to die upon his cross.  
Now, I don’t know if that man knew anything about Baptism. I doubt he knew that Jesus had just hours earlier fed his disciples his very body and blood under the forms of bread and wine for the first time. Yet, I have no doubt that had he survived the cross, he would have devoted himself to the apostles teaching, the fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and prayers, been baptized and learned all these things. Yet, even with that one sentence the man benefited from Jesus’ pure teaching. And with those words he gained eternal life.  
Pure doctrine saves, because Jesus saves. When we speak of pure doctrine, we are not speaking of a science formulated by men. We’re speaking about the words of our Savior, which are the words of eternal life. We want to hear pure doctrine, because we only want to hear Jesus. Jesus teaches us to watch out for false prophets, because he loves us. He is our Good Shepherd, who speaks to us. And we, his sheep, want to hear only his voice, because only he gives us eternal life. Amen.  
0 Comments

Trinity 8: Beware of False Prophets

8/13/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Matthew 7:15-23 
​​August 6, 2017 
 
"Beware of false prophets," Jesus warns. Well, what is a false prophet? First you have to know that a false prophet isn't going to come out and tell you that he's a false prophet. He looks good. He looks like he's sent by God and that he's going to tell you the truth of what God says. They're dressed in sheep's clothing, Jesus says. False prophets are in pulpits and in seminaries, they wear crosses around their necks and carry Bibles. So, you can't tell a false prophet simply by looking at him. "By their fruits you will know them." What are their fruits? Their prophecies, that is, their words. You will know that they are false prophets by the words they preach and teach.  

False prophets teach contrary to God's Word while leading you to believe that they teach God's Word in truth. They lie and tell you they are telling the truth. This is the worst offense against the Second Commandment, "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie or deceive by his name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks." False prophets say that God said something he didn't say. They place God's name on a lie. This is clearly forbidden by God.  

Protection from false prophets is the first thing we pray for in the Lord's Prayer. "Hallowed be Thy name. How is God's name kept holy? God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!" (From Luther's Small Catechism, First Petition of the Lord's Prayer) 
Every time you pray the Lord's Prayer you pray that God would protect you from false prophets, who teach lies in God's name. False prophets teach many different lies. They are not united as Christ is. Their teachings don't come from Christ, but from Satan. And Satan will lead you away in whatever way he can.  

A very popular false teaching today that is taught by many who claim to be Christian ministers is that the Bible is not entirely reliable. Now they normally won't outright tell you that they think the Bible has errors. They'll try to sound academic and say, "Well, not all of the Bible is meant to be taken literally." But they don't simply mean that the Bible has sections of poetry, visions, and parables, which need to be treated as such. They use this language to disregard historical records in Scripture that they think seem farfetched or make them uncomfortable. So, they deny that God created the world and human beings the way he said he did and they depend on theories promoted by atheists. They will deny the miracles of Jesus and they will try to convince you that all this doesn't really affect your faith anyway.  

They will deny that Paul wrote his Epistles or claim that we don't have to accept everything that St. Paul or other apostles write, (ignoring the fact that Christ Jesus himself made these men his apostles and gave them their words to speak). And they'll even say things that sound really Christian, like the Gospel is the most important thing in the Bible and the Gospel is the real authority of Scripture. Meanwhile they chip away at every other teaching of Scripture until you don't realize that they have assaulted the very Gospel of the forgiveness of sins won by Christ.  

These false prophets are very successful, because they are very appealing. They don't tell you what God tells you (or only half of what God tells you). Instead, they will tell you what you want to hear. St. Paul warns, "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)  

So, people follow false teachers, because they tell them what they want to hear. This is quite natural for sinners. When you seek advice from friends do you take the advice that is the most sound or the advice that makes you look good or is the easiest to follow? And so, people follow after false prophets, who say that God doesn't have a problem with fornication or homosexuality or abortion or divorce or greed. It's a lot nicer to hear that you don't need to repent of your sins or that your family and loved ones don't need to repent from their sins than to hear that you are a poor miserable sinner in need of redemption. These false prophets seem friendly and loving. The Jesus of those traditionalists sounds unloving, archaic, and bigoted.  

But you have to remember the source of these teachings. Teachings that promote sexual immorality, murder, and covetousness do not come from God, but from Satan. Satan does not love you. He wants to murder your soul. God loves you. Jesus died for you out of love for you. Yes, God will lay down the law. He will tell you that you are a sinner. He will tell you to repent. But everything he does is out of love. If you continue in your sins you will go to hell. You cannot have saving faith while you continue in impenitent sin. Jesus calls you out of your sin to eternal life. Satan wants to keep you in your sin so that you go to hell.  

Who is more loving? A father who disciplines his disobedient child or a stranger who speaks sweetly and offers candy to the child if he gets into his van? It is far better for a child to endure a spanking and a scolding from his father, who loves him than to accept sweet candy from a stranger, who wishes to do him harm. And so, we should flee the sweet talk of false prophets and listen to God's word, both the Law, which rebukes us, and the Gospel, which comforts us.  

Those who deny that the Bible is without errors are not the only false prophets. Many so-called conservative churches still teach falsely. They will deny the saving power of Baptism, even though Scripture clearly states that God saves us through Baptism. They'll deny the pastor's authority to forgive and retain sins and that the Lord's Supper is Christ's true body and blood for us Christians to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. They deny these teachings, because they place their own sinful reason over the clear words of God. You should avoid such churches. Do not attend them. Do not worship there. Instead go where all of Christ's means of grace are given to his people.  

The worst kind of false teaching is the teaching that claims that you must earn your own salvation. This teaching robs Christ of his glory. And it sets you up as your own false god. If you must earn your own salvation by your good works you must trust in yourself, how good you can be instead of trusting in Christ's sacrifice on the cross for your sins. Beware of false prophets, who will twist scripture and torture your conscience to convince you that Christ's death is not enough to win your salvation. Trust in Christ alone and trust in him unceasing! 
But does this all really matter? Isn't it just important that we're all "Christians?" Why get so bent out of shape with the details? Indeed, this is the way most people think. People are more discerning of what brand of pop they drink than the purity of God's Word they listen to. And so, it is important for us to listen to our Lord's words once again. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." They aren't sheep. They're wolves. What do wolves do? Wolves kill. They murder. That is Satan's goal with false teaching. His goal is to destroy your faith, to separate you from Jesus. He is not loving. He does not bring you closer to Jesus. His goal is for you to trust in yourself, despair of God's gifts, forsake God's word, to die without hope or with false hope.  

So, while it is true that there are Christians, who will go to heaven, who attend churches run by false prophets, this does not mean that marking and avoiding false prophets is unimportant.  
This is a matter of life and death. It is very important for you to beware of false prophets; to guard against them. Now, how do you do that? Immediately after our Gospel lesson Jesus says, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." (Matthew 7:24-25) 

You are founded on the rock if you believe in Jesus' words. The best way to be founded on the rock is to learn your Catechism. We call it Luther's Small Catechism, because Martin Luther wrote the explanations in our Catechism. But Martin Luther didn't give us the Small Catechism. God did. The Catechism is simply the basics of what a Christian needs to know to be a Christian. All the teachings of the Catechism come from the Bible. The Catechism is made up of six chief parts: The Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Baptism, The Office of The Keys, and The Lord's Supper. The Ten Commandments were given by God to Moses and are listed in Exodus chapter 20. The Apostles' Creed, while it does not exist in the Bible in that exact form is a summary of the Apostles' teaching about God as found in Scripture. Jesus taught us to pray the Lord's Prayer. Jesus gave us Baptism, the Office of the Keys, and the Lord's Supper. The Catechism clearly and simply explains what Scripture teaches about these three means of grace! 

Every one of you should have your Small Catechism memorized. Not just the youths, who are preparing for Confirmation. Everyone from the little children just learning to pray to the elderly should be learning their Small Catechism by heart. And every one of us should use the Catechism in our daily prayers. And fathers should lead their families to pray it and teach it to their children.  

You are much less likely to fall for the devil's lie that sexual immorality is not a big deal if you know your Ten Commandments by heart. You will be able to answer the Jehovah's Witness or Mormon at your door if you know the Apostles Creed and what it means. I believe that Jesus Christ, true God begotten of the Father from eternity and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. Tell that to the Jehovah's Witness when he tries to deny that Jesus is true God.  

You pray the Lord's Prayer every day. But do you know what the words mean? Your Small Catechism gives a simple explanation to each petition, to help you pray!  

Do you have your Small Catechism memorized? Do you pray from it each day? Are you prepared to guard yourself against false prophets?  

You must be able to judge your pastor. You must be able to judge me to determine whether I am teaching you God's Word in truth or whether I am a false prophet. You can't simply judge me based on your own thoughts and opinions. To recognize the fruit of a false teacher and the fruit of a true teacher sent by God, you must be built on the Rock. You need to know your Catechism. That is how you know your Savior, Jesus.  
​

The truth matters. Because the truth reveals to you your Savior Jesus. Satan does not love you. The lies he spreads through false prophets do not help you. But the truth sets you free from sin, death, and hell. The truth is, God loves you. He loves you so that he sent his Son to redeem you with his own precious blood and innocent suffering and death. He loves you so that he washes you clean in Jesus blood through Baptism. He loves you so that he convicts you of your sin so that he can forgive you. He loves you so that he feeds you Christ's own body and blood, so that you can say, "Yes, I have received Jesus' forgiveness. God says so!" God loves you. And he shows you his love through his pure teaching. So,
 guard and cherish his teaching. 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

    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
    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)
    Good Friday
    Last Sunday
    Lent 1
    Lent 2
    Lent 3
    Lent 4
    Lent 5
    Lenten Services
    Maundy Thursday
    Name Of Jesus
    Nativity Of St. John The Baptist
    Palm Sunday
    Pentecost
    Presentation Of Our Lord
    Quinquagesima
    Reformation Day
    Robert Preus
    Second Last Sunday
    Septuagesima
    Sexagesima
    St. James Of Jerusalem
    St. Michael And All Angels
    Thanksgiving
    Transfiguration
    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 >
      • Online Services
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
    • Sermons
    • Sermons 2015-2016
  • Trinity Trumpet Newsletter
  • Trinity Trumpet Calendar