Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: November 2013

Monday, November 18, 2013

Matthew 25,31-46. The 2nd Last Sunday after Trinity (Trinity 26)

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Matthew 25,31-46 5513

Vorletzer Sonntag des Kirchenjahres nach Trinitatis 071 [Trinity 26]

Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, † 265

17. November 2013

1. O God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant to us such strength and protections, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations. Amen (The Book of Common Prayer, 4. Sunday after Epiphany).

2. Jesus answered His disciples: „When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right: ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the reign prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying: ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them: ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will say to those on His left: ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer, saying: ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying: ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.“

3. 6, 5, 4 .... Today is the 2. Last Sunday in the Church Year (also known as the 26. Sunday after Trinity), and the countdown to the end continues. Last week Jesus said Jerusalem would be razed and the temple destroyed. Today, Jesus talks about heaven and hell.

4. In the Athanasian Creed we confess: „At Christ’s coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds. And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire“ (§ 38-39). The Creed draws this from our Gospel Reading for today.

5. So are we saved by faith, or is it by works? Many read Matthew 25 and the final sentences of the Athanasian Creed and conclude we are saved by works, or that works have some bearing of walking through the pearly gates of heaven. This assumption is our default corrupted human nature. Something bad happens in our life and our first thought is: what did I do to make God angry at me? The implication is: If I do evil, then I will be punished and eventually barred from heaven, but if I do good, then I will be rewarded and eventually welcomed into heaven. If we base our righteousness by the works we do or fail to do, then we are advocating a righteousness by the law. The Apostle Paul declares such works righteousness to be anathema: »No human being will be made righteous in God’s sight by works of the law, since the knowledge of sin comes through the law« (Romans 3,20). Matthew 25 and the Athanasian Creed state this as well.

6. Let’s examine the two groups of people standing before Jesus on the last day. Jesus will separate people one from another: some He places on His right and others on His left. To those on His right He says: »Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the reign prepared for you from the foundation of the world.« And to those on His left He says: »Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.« Both sentences follow the same pattern: come/depart, blessed/cursed, heavenly reign/eternal fire. There is a key verb present in one sentence but missing in the other. Jesus tells those who are blessed: inherit the heavenly reign, and it is precisely this verb, inherit, that assures us that entrance into heaven is by God’s loving grace, not by the good works commanded by the law.

7. How do we inherit something? Normally, we inherit something from someone who has named us in his or her will. Parents leave their prized possessions to their children, and to ensure they receive these things following their death they draft a last will and testament to make the inheritance legally binding. George Washington had a provision in his will that when his wife finally died, then all their slaves were to be given their freedom. An inheritance implies a relationship between the person who drafted the will and those who are named in that will. Often family members are named as heirs in a will. Only when a person dies does his or her will take effect (Hebrews 9,16-17).

8. Those who inherit on the last day are described as blessed. In His Beatitudes, Jesus calls His disciples blessed (Matthew 5,1-11). Consider especially His 8. Beatitude: »Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the reign of heaven« (Matthew 5,10). In this verse, Jesus links blessedness and righteousness together: the one who is blessed is righteous, and the one who is righteous is blessed. But again, the question is asked: How does one become blessed and righteous? Is it by doing the works prescribed in the law, or is it by faith in Jesus? The Apostle Paul clearly tells us the mind and will of Jesus: »A person is not righteous by the works of law but righteous through faith in Jesus Christ« (Galatians 2,16).

9. On the last day, the day of judgment, the sheep will be placed on the right of Jesus’ throne. These sheep are blessed, they are righteous, they are disciples of Jesus and they are redeemed and righteous by their faith in Jesus. They are heirs of the eternal riches of God’s heavenly reign. All who trust in Jesus will be to His right when they stand before His glorious throne. All who trust in Jesus will be saved and welcomed into the inheritance that has been prepared for them since the foundation of the world.

10. Notice that those who hear this proclamation were unaware that they were doing good works unto Jesus Himself. Such is the way of faith, for faith is not interested in counting, measuring or comparing the number of works and their glory. Such accounting is the way of the law. Faith merely lives in the trust and hope that the crucified and risen Jesus is the one and only Source of salvation and righteousness. Good works naturally flow from such faith, just as a river flows forth from its source. Faith is a gift just as righteousness and heavenly joy are gifts, and they are gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the gospel. We see something needing to be done and we do. We see a neighbor in need and we act. There is no thought of praise or reward, but only that the emergency is alleviated. This is how faith responds to the trials and tribulations in this world. Eternal life in God’s presence is the end journey for those who believe in Jesus.

11. Not everyone, however, gets that happy ending. Many will find themselves on the left side of Jesus’ throne. This is the side reserved for those who do not believe in Jesus and want no part of Him and His reign. They have no inheritance, for they have rejected what Jesus gladly and freely gave to them. They have no place in heaven, for they have refused to be in Jesus’ presence. Such unbelieving goats are accursed and removed from Jesus’ presence. They have forfeited their eternal dwelling in heaven, and so they must spend eternity in hell with the devil and the fallen angels. Hell was not prepared for men and women, but those who reject the good and gracious gifts of Jesus, like the devil and the fallen angels did after they were created, will spend eternity with those of like company and desire.

12. It is not Jesus’ will for any human being to be separated from Him in the depth of hell. Jesus has done everything necessary to avoid such a fate. Jesus lived, died and rose again to redeem fallen men and women. He pours out gifts upon gifts to all people. He showers them with His grace and mercy, but many spurn His love and will not receive by faith His grace. No one has an excuse to ignore God’s love, for it was displayed in all its glory when Jesus sacrificed Himself, suffered and died on the cross to merit the eternal salvation of the world. The price has been paid; the inheritance has been testified; faith is the recipient of God’s free love.

13. Many authors write books about the last day, armageddon and the like. They are sensational pieces of fiction strung together with flimsy Scotch tape. Let me give you a simple, Biblical summary of heaven and hell: „Our Lutheran churches teach that at the consummation of the world Christ will arrive to judge, and to raise up all the dead, He will give to the faithful and elect eternal life and everlasting joy, but He will damn godless people and the devils to hell and eternal punishment. Our churches condemn the Anabaptists, who teach that there will be an end to the anguish and pain of condemned people and devils. Our churches also condemn others who spread several Jewish doctrines, namely that the holy and devout shall take possession of the kingdom of this world before the resurrection of the dead and the godless will be destroyed“ (AC 17,1-4).

14. When you stand before the throne of Jesus on the last day it will not be a day of distress and hardship for you who believe in Jesus as your savior from sin, death and hell. To stand before Jesus on that day is to stand before Him with great joy and faith for your know and believe that Jesus has covered all your sins and redeemed you fully unto His Heavenly Father. Hear the words of the Apostle Paul concerning that day: »There is reserved for us the crown of righteousness, which the Lord Jesus, the Righteous Judge, will give us on that day to all those who have longed for His appearing« (2. Timothy 4,8).

15. I also deliver to you these words written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Thessalonica who were distressed about the last day and fearful that some Christians would miss its glory: »But we, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the advent of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night« (1. Thessalonians 4,13-5,2).

16. What a glorious day it will be when we stand with all the Christian believers at the right hand of Christ Jesus, our risen and ascended Lord! We will stand before Jesus in our resurrected bodies and behold Him in all His Divine glory. He will welcome us into the land of our inheritance, and we will enjoy the riches of our Triune God forever and ever in the fellowship of the angels and saints. Amen.

17. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, the heavens declare Your righteousness and the earth bears witness that You are a fair and just Judge; give us the peace You purchased on the cross for us so that we live our lives in the hope of a glorious judgment on the last day where we will inherit salvation. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Typhoon Haiyan relief fund

With the devastation in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, please consider making a donation to our synodical disaster relief fund. You can do so here.

In times of need, Christians show the love of Christ in many ways. Our prayers and financial support help those coping with lose and those bringing necessary assistance to those affected. In such tragedies, we cry out: O Lord, have mercy! Jesus uses us to show His mercy.

KFUO is on the move!

KFUO is an AM radio station that broadcasts out of the International Center (the headquarters of the LCMS) in St. Louis. You can listen to KFUO online and via podcasts. Check out the link to KFUO on the right -->

KFUO has been a Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod radio station since 1930. One of its most well-known programs is "The Lutheran Hour".

In the weeks ahead, KFUO will be adding more programming under the direction of Rev. Craig Donofrio. It looks like good things are coming to KFUO under Rev. Donofrio's guidance.

If you have a moment, please give the station a listen.

Matthew 24,1-2.15-28. The 3rd Last Sunday in the Church Year

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Matthew 24,[1-2]15-28 5413

Drittletzer Sonntag des Kirchenjahres nach Trinitatis 070 (Trinity 25)

Florentia, Martyr 354

10. November 2013

1. Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of Thy faithful people; so that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of Thee be plenteously rewarded. Amen.

2. Jesus left the temple and was going away, when His disciples came to point out to Him the buildings of the temple. But He answered them: „You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you: ‘Behold, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you: ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say: ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the arrival of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather“ (Matthew 24,1-2.15-28)

3. 10, 9, 8, 7 ... you may have heard this countdown if you have ever watched a televised rocket or shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Today is the 3. Last Sunday in the Church Year (also known as the 25. Sunday after Trinity), and it is the countdown to the end.

4. In Matthew 24, the end of Jesus’ ministry was drawing to a close. He was in Jerusalem and Holy Week was in full swing. The cross and the empty tomb were nigh; Jesus would soon inaugurate the last days. The apostles, however, were admiring the wonders of the city and its crowning jewel: the temple. Jesus dashed their hopes for glory: these buildings and this marvelous temple will be demolished so that only individual stones remain in a pile of rubble. This is nothing short of saying that the old covenant will be coming to an end. No temple means no sacrifices; no sacrifices means no forgiveness being given out. It is the end.

5. Jesus used the historical example of Antiochus Epiphanes IV who in 168 B.C. entered Jerusalem and offered up a desolating sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering (1. Maccabees 1,54). Antiochus had also placed a statue of Zeus in the most holy place of the temple, thereby turning Yahweh’s temple into a temple of idolatry. Jesus explained to His apostles that just as Antiochus desecrated the temple, when the apostles see another abomination which causes desolation standing in the temple they should flee from the area. Jesus’ warning came to pass a few decades later when in A.D. 70 General Titus lead his legions into Jerusalem, crushed the Jewish rebellion against Emperor Vespatian, planted the Imperial eagle standard on holy ground and destroyed the city and the temple.

6. Well-meaning, but false, messengers cried out: God will save us! Behold, the Christ is on His way to drive the Roman pagans out of holy Jerusalem! The Christians, however, heeded Jesus’ warning from Matthew 24. When the Jews revolted, the Christians fled Judea and Jerusalem because they knew Jesus was not returning to save the city. Failure to heed Jesus’ words leads to destruction, but faithfulness to Jesus’ words leads to salvation.

7. In A.D. 30 Jesus entered Jerusalem as the Christ and the Son of Man. The Jewish authorities summarily rejected Him. The chief priests, the elders, the scribes and the Pharisees colluded together to accuse Jesus of blasphemy and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate for judgment and execution as a seditionist against Roman authority. Yahweh had arrived in their midst in human flesh. He fulfilled His promise to redeem His holy and chosen people, but the Jewish leaders chose a false god and idol over the God of their covenant. The Jewish leaders preferred the wine in the old wineskins rather than the wine in the new wineskins that Jesus offered. »No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says: ”The old is good.“« (Luke 5,37-39). Thus the Jewish leaders preferred the old covenant rather than the new covenant.

8. The old covenant was tied to the animal sacrifices and located at the temple in Jerusalem. With the temple gone and the city razed, the old covenant and its sacrifices for sin came to an end. The temple has never been rebuilt and the animal sacrifices have ceased. The old covenant has come to an end, the new covenant is now in effect and this was God’s will. The wine is now given in new wineskins. Jesus is the new covenant and the new wineskins. His vicarious sacrifice on the cross is the one sacrifice that redeems all the world back unto God the Father. The effects of this one sacrifice are given out though the means of grace. Where the Word is preached and the Sacraments administered, there the grace and forgiveness of God though Jesus Christ are given and received.

9. We live in world that is enthralled with the future. Christians and even entire denominations stake their claim on predicting when Jesus will return, perhaps such predictions occupy your thoughts. Since Jesus ascended to heaven, over 240 predictions of when He will return have been prognosticated. (That’s an average of one new prediction every 8.2625 years!) Christians often look for and desire for Jesus to return at an event of great tragedy. There have been numerous world-changing events that seemed like the end of the world as we knew it, but Jesus has not returned during any of those tragic historical events. Jesus Himself tells us: »Then if anyone says to you: ‘Behold, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.«

10. Jesus’ return is delayed. The Apostle Peter explains why in his epistle: »The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but He is patient toward us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance« (2. Peter 3,9). Our Lord’s delay in His second advent is so more people will have the opportunity to hear the gospel and believe in Him. We should not worry ourselves with when Jesus will return, but instead we should concern ourselves with ensuring that the gospel can continue to be preached from this corner for many years to come. The gospel that Christ redeemed the world with His death and then promises eternal resurrected life in His presence is the proclamation that comforts troubled consciences. Christ is here when two or three Christians gather in His Name. Christ is there when His Word is preached.

11. You won’t miss our Lord’s return. It will be a surprise, like when a thief breaks into a house (2. Peter 3,10), but it will also be visible around the world. There will be no doubt that He has returned, for the heavens will light up with brilliance to gloriously usher in His return.

12. We long for the return of Christ Jesus, for we are wearied and burdened by false christs who promise salvation, by false prophets who offer false hope and law burdens disguised as gospel, by those who wear us down with their incessant dating of Christ’s return, by those who persecute our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, by those who ridicule and defame Christians in our society and by the cares and duties of this fallen world that weigh us down as if a millstone were hung around our necks. The pure gospel of the crucified and risen Christ soothes burdened consciences. Every generation sees its share of tribulations that threaten to overwhelm the Church. The gospel brings us blessed assurance (seligste Versicherung): Fear not, dear Christians, fear not, for we are saved by Christ alone (solus Christus) and no one and nothing can snatch us out of Christ’s redeeming hands: not our sins, not false teachers, not the tribulations of the world and not even the devil himself. We are free; we are forgiven; we belong to Jesus. His vicarious and substitutionary death solves our real, deadly problem: (which is our) sin. There is now full and complete peace between God the Father and us. We are righteous and justified on account of Christ’s merits which have now been credited to us. This is the doctrine of justification that Christ Jesus established for you and your salvation. Let the world and the devil press against us with tribulations, doubts and despair! We have Christ, and He has rescued us from the fallen world and the hordes of devils that surround us. Christ is our Victor and Deliverer. Amen.

13. Let us pray. We give thanks to You, O Lord Jesus Christ, we give thanks, for Your Name is near, and where Your Name is, there is the precious gospel that promises that we are justified and conquerors through Your merits. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

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Monday, November 4, 2013

Philippians 1,9-11.3,8-11. Commemoration of the Reformation

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Philippians 1,9-11. 3,8-11 5213

22. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 067

Frumentius and Aedesius, Apostles of Ethiopia, 4th c.

27. Oktober 2013

1. O Merciful God and Everlasting Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who in the fulness of time did send forth Your Only-begotten Son, who has declared unto us what He saw and heard in Your presence: most heartily do we praise and thank You, so that You have rekindled among us the light of Your Holy Word.... Preserve us from all false teachers, hypocrites and enemies of Your Word who seek to overthrow Your Church purchased at so great a cost by Your Dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; at all times send us faithful bishops, ministers and teachers who will lead us into the knowledge and confession of the heavenly mysteries and finally into the glorious righteousness of Your everlasting reign (Löhe 149-50). Amen.

2. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, being filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.... Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith so that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, so that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 1,9-11. 3,8-11)

3. If you had to summarize the Lutheran Reformation in one sentence, it would be this: we are freely justified before God for Christ’s sake through faith (AC 4), for this is the heart and soul of the gospel, but in Luther’s day this gospel had become obscured and a theology of glory (theologia gloriae) had taken hold. The theology of glory comes in several variants, but we want to highlight only three particular ones this morning: moralism, mysticism and rationalism. Moralism is seeking improvements to one’s behavior and understanding that this improvement is the gospel. The Pharisees are a good example of moralists. Mysticism is seeking religious experiences (old or contemporary) in order to ascend to God and feel His presence. Quakers are a good example of mystics. Rationalism is trying to ascend to God through speculative philosophy. Immanuel Kant is a good example of a rationalist.

4. The glories of moralism, mysticism and rationalism were rampant in the Medieval Catholic Church. Martin Luther’s answer was to replace these theologies of glory with the theology of the cross (theologia cruets). The Reformation worked to return the Catholic Church to the Biblical focus of Christ crucified and risen as the cornerstone of the gospel, but we have arrived full circle as twenty-first century Western culture is rife with many theologies of glory that seek to derail us from the path of the theology of glory. Moralism is especially rife in American Christianity, and the more our culture removes itself from its long-held Christian foundation the more American Christianity will seek to impose moralism inside and outside the Church so as to ensure the safe-keeping of the gospel and its effect in our lives. Mystical worship is found among a large segment of the Church. How many people argue that they do not need to be in Church on Sunday to worship God because they are spiritual and therefore they can worship God anywhere they please and in whatever manner suits them? Rational thought has sought to overthrow Christian faith since the dawning of the Enlightenment. Some Christians pit reason and faith against each other, arguing that the two spheres should not intersect with each other. The end result is that rational thought often takes preeminence as it diminishes and devalues the importance of faith.

5. All these theologies of glory erode away the true and pure gospel entrusted to the Church by Christ and His apostles. Luther realized this in his day as he began his doctoral studies in the Holy Scriptures. His Ninety-five Theses were the beginning of a debate to rescue the gospel for the Church and Christians. Perhaps the most important thesis that Luther posted on the Schloßkirche (Castle Church) in Wittenberg in 1517 reads: The true treasure of the Church is the most holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God

(Ninety-Five Theses § 62). As Luther and the Reformers continued their work, the doctrine of justification became the cornerstone in reforming Medieval Catholicism.

6. The Apostle Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Philippians that »we do not have a righteousness of our own that comes from the law, but a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith so that we may know Him and the power of Christ’s resurrection.« This righteousness that comes through Christ is the pure, true gospel of the Church. No other religion has this gospel that is grounded on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus. The one holy catholic and apostolic Church alone has the word of salvation.

7. Therefore, the devil uses every means at his disposal to thwart or warp this gospel. Thus the Church must safeguard this gospel each generation lest it be obscured and countless people wallow in the uncertainty of God’s disposition toward them. The devil, the world and our own sinful flesh work to create doubt in regards to God’s favor toward us. The gospel is the promise of absolute certainty (absolute Gewißheit) that God the Father looks upon us with His love and favor. This promise overrules any negative word spoken by the devil, the world or our sinful flesh. God’s word in Jesus is His final word, and it is a word of redemption.

8. No theology of glory, no matter how enthusiastically pursued and practiced, can outshine the glory and certainty we have in the theology of the cross. Moralism, mysticism and rationalism are mere shadows that are chased away when the bright light of the suffering and crucified Christ for His fallen creation shines forth in all its brilliance. Any manmade attempt, be it secular or religious, that attempts to soothe our sinful consciences is a deathly hallow in comparison to the glorious empty tomb of Jesus.

9. Do you want certainty that you are righteous before God? Moralism and its works-righteousness will not give you this certainty, but the works and merits of Christ will assure you of your righteous standing in God’s sight. Christ’s work of crucifixion and resurrection are all the certainty you need to know that you are justified before God. Paul declares: »Righteousness will be reckoned to those who believe in God the Father who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead, our Jesus who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ« (Romans 4,24-5,1). Do you want the bliss of worshipping the Triune God? Mysticism with its inner spirituality and meditation will not ultimately give you this joyous feeling, but the Gottesdienst (Divine Service) where the Holy Spirit feeds your spirit and soul with the Word and Sacraments will always assure you of your forgiveness and fill you with great joy and peace. Luke writes: »And the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers« (Acts 2,42). Do you want the knowledge of salvation? Rationalism, not matter how well-reasoned, will not enlighten you to the mind of God, but the knowledge of Christ will be your everlasting enlightenment. Paul proclaims: »Christ is the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, for in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge« (Colossians 2,2-3).

10 The gospel of Christ Jesus crucified and risen for you and your sinfulness justifies you: all your sins have been paid for and you are now righteous before God the Father. The gospel sanctifies you: the Holy Spirit daily works in you to create good works by which your neighbors are blessed. The gospel is revealed by faith and received by faith. You are saved. You are righteous. You are sanctified. Christ has made it so. The gospel proclaims it. Believe it, for the gospel is the power of God the Son working in your life through the Holy Scriptures, Holy Baptism, the Lord’s Supper and Absolution. The gospel is yours by grace and it is free all on account of Christ. You can be certain of it, for Christ alone is your righteousness. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds; keep Your gospel pure in our midst so that only trust in You for our redemption unto life everlasting. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

✠

Matthew 5,33-37. 23rd Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Matthew 5,33-37 5313

23. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 068

Pirmin, Apostle of Westrich † 754

3. November 2013

1. O God, our refuge and strength, who art the author of all godliness: Be ready, we beseech Thee, to hear the devout prayers of Thy Church; and grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually. Amen (The Book of Common Prayer, 23. Sunday after Trinity).

2. Jesus taught the crowds, saying: „Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients: »You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to Yahweh what you have sworn.« [Leviticus 19,12; Deuteronomy 23,21] But I say to you: Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.“

3. During the Reformation, one of the Medieval Catholic abuses the Lutherans remedied involved vows and oaths. It was taught that such vows and oaths justify, that they constitute Christian perfection, that they keep the counsels and commandments, that they have works of supererogation (the performance of a work beyond what is required or expected) (AC 27 §61). The Reformers confessed all these things credited to vows and oaths to be false and empty, and therefore such vows and oaths are null and void (AC 27 §61). They are null and void because they are contrary to the gospel (AC 15 §4). They are contrary to the gospel, because vows and oaths are of the law. This is not to say that they are wicked, for they exist to maintain order, veracity and fulfillment of duties. Thus Lutheran pastors and churches take a vow to remain faithful to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions; in court we take an oath to tell the truth.

4. Vows and oaths exist because we live in a fallen, sinful world. People lie. People are deceitful. People slander their neighbor. We are liars, deceivers and slanderers; God’s law exposes us as such when it commands: »You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.« Luther explains what this means: We should fear and love God so that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything (Small Catechism). Vows and oaths exist to help us obey this 8. Commandment.

5. Such vows and oaths, however, are not perfect guarantees in our fallen, sinful world. Pastors ignore their ordination vows when they preach and teach false doctrine. Congregations belittle their synodical oaths when they ignore parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Countless people perjure themselves in court. Businesses break their contracts with consumers, and consumers try to cheat the businesses they frequent. Politicians lie to the voters and fail to uphold the U.S. Constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic. We are vow-annulers and oath-breakers. Such is life in this corrupted world.

6. Two days ago was All Saints’ Day when the Church commemorates and remembers all the Christians who have died and gone on to Paradise with the Lord Jesus Christ. How does one become a saint? It certainly is not a title bestowed upon people who have kept the law, their vows and their oaths, for no one legally measures up to sainthood. And yet, all Christians are holy in the sight of the Triune God. So are we a sinner or a saint? Luther tells us that we are both in his famous formula: simul iustus et peccator : we are both justified and a sinner at the same time (AE 26,232).

7. We are justified freely by Christ’s merit and on account of His righteousness. Christ, and Christ alone, makes us justified and righteous. Our sin is forgiven. Our account is credited with no debit. We are holy ones and saints by the shed blood of Christ that washes us whiter than snow. Justified people have no need of vows or oaths. Just as Christ’s word is truth (Psalm 119,160), so our Christian word is truthful and honest. Our word is our bond because we are Christian people redeemed by Christ Jesus. We have no need to swear or take an oath because our yes or no is sufficient as good Christian people.

8. We are filthy, rotten sinners on account of the original sin that is still part and parcel of our fallen human nature. We cannot scrub away our sinfulness, and it follows us around like a musky smell. We are sinners who sin, and we enjoy sinning. Sinners must take vows and swear oaths so that they are honest with their neighbors. This protects us and them. Vows and oaths hold us accountable when we are tempted to hurt or harm our neighbor. Our sworn word becomes our bond because we are deceitful and dishonest; our sworn word might weigh us down like a millstone, and weigh us down it must to coerce us to honor our agreements. As sinners a simple yes or no will simply not do because we will find ways to weasel out of our promises.

9. We remain simul iustus et peccator until we depart from this earth, and until then our redeemed flesh will struggle with our corrupted flesh. It is a wrestling match of mind, body and soul, but God’s gives us a comforting promise; He has taken a vow and spoken an oath to save His fallen creation, and He fulfilled this vow and oath in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul proclaims: »For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was not Yes and No, but in Him it is always Yes, for all the promises of God find their Yes in Christ« (2. Corinthians 1,19-20).

10. Yes, we are now justified and a sinner. Yes, we live in a corrupt world. Yes, the curse upon sin and death still afflict us. Christ, however, is our Yes. Yes, Christ will remove our sinful nature so that we are only justified. Yes, Christ will recreate the heaven and earth in pristine purity. Yes, Christ has over come the curse and death; He will remove the punishment of the curse and overcome our death when He raises us up on the last day. Until the fulfillment of those vows, we live with the grace of God’s Word and Sacraments that give us the forgiveness He has purchased. When our time arrives and we join all the saints in the bliss of Paradise, then we will be in the presence of Christ awaiting the resurrection of our body. Each day until then, Christ Jesus is our Yes and our assurance that we are justified, we are redeemed and we are saved. The conclusion is eternal life in the Divine Presence, and Christ will fulfill His vow to bring us into His heavenly realm. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Yahweh, You are blessed by all your Christian people, those here upon earth and those before You in Paradise. Pour Your Spirit upon us so that we rejoice in being heirs of Your reign and recipients of Your merciful power. Amen.