Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Psalm 40,9-12; Psalm 143,1.2. 9. Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Psalm 40,9-12; Psalm 143,1.2 4217

9. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 054

Cassianus, Martyr 362.

Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus II, Pastor and Theologian. ✠ 1994

13. August 2017

1. О Lord Jesus Christ, Your Name is majestic in all the earth; set Your glory upon the earth, so that Your righteousness covers all people. Amen. (Gradual)

2. Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In Your faithfulness answer me, in Your righteousness! Enter not into judgment with Your servant, for no one living is righteous before You. I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your Torah is within my heart. I have told the glad news of deliverancein the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as You know, O Lord. I have not hidden Your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving kindness and Your faithfulness from the great congregation. As for You, O Lord, You will not restrain Your mercy from me; Your loving kindness and Your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

3. The Psalmist exhorts us to pray to the Lord and plead for His mercy, for no one is righteous before Him. Many of the psalms are prayers such as Psalm 40 and 143 that implore the Lord to be merciful to the unrighteous. Our Prepatory Rite of Confession and Absolution each Sunday morning takes inspiration from such imprecatory psalms: we confess our sinfulness to God and are assured of His righteousness and mercy. Because God is a Gracious and Just, we are certain that He hears and answers our prayers.

4. Jesus tells us on the last day that »to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance« (Matthew 25,29). God the Father is an extremely generous God who liberally gives from His Divine abundance. A single talent was worth 6000 denarii (16.438 years of wages for a common worker). 1 talent = $1,422,175.12 (as of Tu 8. August 2017). The Apostle Paul tells us that »the wages of sin is death« (Romans 6,23). The average lifespan in America is 78.74 years which equals 4.79 talents or $6,812,390.13 worth of sinful wages. But God the Father does not accept gold or American dollars as payment for sin; the redemption price for a sinful life is blood as the Apostle Peter proclaims: »we were ransomed not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but we were ransomed with the precious blood of Christ« (1. Peter 1,18). The law says the wages of sin is paid with blood for blood and life for life. The ransom Christ gave to redeem us was His own shed blood and the giving up of His life as the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (John 1,29), just as the Prophet Isaiah foresaw: »Behold, the Lord’s Servant was oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before it's hearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth« (Isaiah 53,7). And again the Prophet declares: »Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His life makes an offering for sin; He bore the sin of all, and makes intercession for the transgressors« (Isaiah 53,10.12).

5. Christ is the fulfillment of today’s Introit: »Jesus is the gospel of deliverance.« This gospel is not a private revelation to be kept in one’s heart, rather this gospel is a Divine revelation that is to be proclaimed. The Apostle Paul writes in his Epistle to the Galatians: »The gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel, for I did not receive it from any many, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ« (Galatians 1,11-12). Paul preached the gospel of Christ crucified to Jews, Greeks and Romans throughout the Roman Empire with 3 missionary journeys and 1 trip to Rome in chains to give an account of his conduct to Caesar Nero himself (54-68). 2000 years later bishops and ministers preach the same gospel in the Church that Paul preached in synagogues and public squares. »So faith is created from hearing the Word of Christ« (Romans 10,17).

6. The reign of heaven will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property (Matthew 25,14). God the Father has handed over to His Only Son the entirety of His wealth. Jesus has been entrusted with infinite talents. How can one double an infinity of talents? St. Paul enlightens us about this in his Epistle to the Romans: »O the depth of the riches, wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how incomprehensible His ways!« (Romans 11,33). »Christ became a Servant/Deacon to the Jews to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy« (Romans 13,8-9). On the last day, all will see God the Father settle accounts with His Son. Miraculously, Christ Jesus will present to His Father double the infinite talents handed over to Him! Many will stand before the Father and His Son as the doubling of the Divine talents. In the reign of heaven there will be neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus; and if we are Christ’s, then we are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3,28-29). Jesus Himself comforts us with these words: »My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My Hand« (John 10,27-29). We who believe in Christ are part of the abundance of Christ’s ministry!

7. Christ is the Embodiment of His Father’s salvation, steadfast love and faithfulness; He does not withhold His mercy from us. In the Office of Matins we chant: »Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord« (Psalm 70,1). »In Christ we have obtained an inheritance so that we who we who were the first to hope in Chirst should be for the praise of His glory« (Ephesians 1,11-12). For Christ Jesus is the Icon of the Invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible through Him and for Him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together, for He is the Head of the body, the Church. He is the Ruler/Beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, so that in everything He may become preeminent. For in Him all the Fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, making peace by the blood of His cross« (Colossians 1,15-20).

8. In His abundant mercy, Christ has given us a rich talent that is faith in Him for the salvation of our lives. As stewards of that righteous talent of faith, let us deliver unto Christ additional talents and build upon the talent of salvation that only Christ has earned and given unto us freely by grace, yes, let us build upon that gift of faith with good works to glorify our Merciful Savior. »Put to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful passion,, evil desire, covetousness and idolatry. Put away anger, rage, malice, slander and abusive language. Put on what is Godly: affection, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other, putting on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony« (Colossians 3,5.8.12-14).

9. Out of love, God the Father sent His Son to redeem us. Out of love, Christ became our vicarious sacrifice. Out of love, the Holy Spirit created faith in Christ when we heard the gospel. God’s loving kindness and faithfulness will ever preserve us unto life everlasting. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Heavenly Father, all who seek You find gladness, give us opportunities to tell others of Your salvation through Christ, so that in confessing His Name they may say may: „Great is the Lord!“ Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

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.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Monday, August 14, 2017

Psalm 40,9-12; Psalm 143,1.2. 9. Trinity

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