2. Corinthians 6,1-10. Invocavit

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

2. Corinthians 6,1-10   1318

Invokavit 024 

Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, relative of the Lord, Martyr 107
Martin Luther, ecclesiae Doctor, Confessor, ✠ 1546 

18. Februar 2018 

1. О Christ our Savior, You suffered shame, scorn disgrace and manifold afflictions to gain happiness for us, help us to laud and magnify Your Name, so that all praise and glory is given to You (Starck 75-76).  Amen.  

2. Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: »In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.« [Isaiah 49,8] Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.  

3. The Apostle Paul quotes the Prophet Isaiah, saying: »In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you« (Isaiah 49,8). Paul then proclaims: Now, is that time! Now is the favorable time; now is the day of salvation! Jesus Christ has been revealed as the gospel of salvation. 

4. But with the gospel, persecution follows. Paul lists some of the persecutions he suffered as an apostle of the gospel: afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights and hunger. Great endurance was needed to withstand such persecution, and the Holy Spirit provides that endurance. Such endurance resulted from: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God.  

5. Paul then uses a military example: a dual-wielding soldier. In Paul’s day, it was the norm for a Roman legionnaire to wield a gladius (24-33”) and a pila (5-7’ javelin). Another dual-wielding legionnaire that became more popular among gladiators was a soldier wielding either 2 siccae (12-18” curved scimitars) or 2 gladii. Paul says, like a dual-wielding legionnaire, we wield weapons of righteousness in our hands. The apostle uses similar language in his Epistle to the Ephesians, where he writes: »Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God« (Ephesians 6,10-13.17). Paul says, as Christians we are well-armed with the Holy Scriptures to meet any trial or tribulation that we may face in this world. 

6. We see this exemplified in our Gospel pericope this morning. Three times Satan tempted Jesus and three times Jesus fought back with the words of Holy Scripture. The Scriptures are not magical words or runes that if recited properly then we will have some mystical gnosis (knowledge) and power. The Scriptures often tell us stories of men and women who faced spiritual challenges, they relied on God to deliver them and thus we are exhorted to seek God and trust Him for salvation. Other Scriptures, particularly the Psalms, are prayers to God petitioning for strength, endurance and intervention on our behalf. Then there are the Scriptures that prophesy something specific about the Christ and encourage us to put our trust in that Christ. 

7. Jesus’ temptation shows us that we can trust in Him to be our Redeemer and Deliverer. No trial or temptation can thwart Him. Not even the Devil can overpower Him. Jesus is the Christ and He has triumphed over the Devil. Jesus’ victory is our victory; Jesus’ righteousness is our righteousness. The gospel proclaims: Jesus has triumphed over sin and Satan for you. This gospel bears fruit: »We are treated as impostors, and yet we are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything«. You have this gift in Christ.  Amen. 

9. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus, You appeared to destroy the works of the devil; send us the Holy Spirit to guide us along Your holy path during Lent so that by traveling with You to the cross we see the joy of eternal life that is Your pure gift to us .  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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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. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, Vol. 4. © 1963 Henry Regnery Co. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Starck, Johann Friedrich. Starck’s Prayer Book. Copyright © 2009 Concordia Publishing House.