1. Corinthians 3,9-15. 12. Trinity

 1. Corinthians 3,9-15 4920

12. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 057

Rebecca

Felix, Pastor, and Adauctus, Martyrs at Rome under Diocletian

30. August 2020

1. O Faithful God, You hear our supplications and know our afflictions; abide with us and do not for sake us, so that we are upheld by Your righteous hand.  Amen. (Starck 226 ¶ 1) 

2. »For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw – each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, then he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, then he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.« 

3. Last week we heard Jesus proclaim that those who are humbled shall be exalted. Today we hear how Jesus opens the ears of those who are physically or spiritually deaf. 

4. The Apostle Paul tells us that our faith is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, which is Christ crucified, buried and raised on the 3. day (1. Corinthians 15,3-4). This risen Jesus appeared to Cephas, the Twelve, 500 disciples, James and finally Paul. The apostle uses the image of temple. In the old testament, the temple was the location where the atoning sacrifices occurred and where the Spirit of God visibly dwelt. This temple was holy. Likewise the Church and every Christian is a temple that is holy. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. Because of Christ and the indwelling Spirit, we are precious Divine sanctuaries (Lockwood 121). 

5. Like the old testament temple, the new testament temples do not always act as spiritual people (Lockwood 121). Some promote on unChristian doctrine, false teaching or outright idolatry. Yahweh always send prophets to call the people to repentance throughout the Old Testament. When such repentance was lacking, then Yahweh did punish their idolatry. He still chastises unrepentant Christians and churches when they remain adamant in their sin. In Paul’s day, at Corinth, jealousy and strife manifested itself in immaturity and worldliness (Lockwood 121). In our culture, some churches and Christians seek the solve the problems of the world solely with worldly means and omit any Christian approach or even Christ Himself at the center of how they approach social issues. Though we possess God’s Spirit, we don’t always act as spiritual people (Lockwood 121). 

6. Our Gospel Lection tells us the account of Jesus healing a man born deaf and mute. We see in this miracle that „What God says, God does. The reverse is also true. What God does, God says; His doing is not ambiguous. God’s work is God’s speech. God’s speech is no fleeting breath. It is a most effective breath that creates life, that summons into life“ (Bayer 43). St. Mark the Evangelist reported the response of the crowd: »He has done all things well« (Mark 7,37). Since Jesus has done all things well, then He has also spoken all things well.

7. Saint Paul teaches that there is only one foundation which survives the test of judgment, and that is the foundation which is Jesus Christ who has done all things well. Paul says that the apostles proclaim Christ Jesus for He is the most solid foundation. In any building project you have to get the foundation right. If you build a solid foundation, then you will withstand the forces of nature and time. Consider the pyramids in Egypt: they have stood for thousands of years because their foundation is rock solid. A weak foundation, however, will soon succumb to the tempests of nature. Thus Paul says the only trustworthy foundation that brings the certainty of salvation is the one that is built upon the preaching of the apostles that is centered upon Christ crucified for sinners. This foundation of redemption is secured by Christ who has redeemed us from sin, death and hades. No force can shake this foundation, not even the forces of Hades (Matthew 16,18). Salvation and justification are only through Jesus, who said: »I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture« (John 10,9); »I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades« (Revelation 1,18). Likewise, only Jesus could heal the deaf man in today’s Gospel lection; and only Jesus can open ears that are spiritually deaf so that they hear the gospel and believe. 

8. „in our modern age, influenced by Pietism and the Enlightenment, our thinking is shaped by what is subjective, by the life of faith, by our inner disposition and motivation, by our inward impulses and the way they are shaped.“ (Bayer 58). Christ always comes first; He is our foundation; upon this foundation follows the Word of God, faith, love and every good work that flows from love (Bayer 58). 

9. „We do not merit the reign of God by working for it. It has long since been prepared.“ Jesus said: »Inherit the reign prepared for you from the foundation of the world« (Matthew 25,34). „The concept of progress is no longer a salvation concept“ (Bayer 66). We live in a fallen, corrupt and cursed world, but we do not flee from this present world with the dream of hoping for better times in this world’s history (Bayer 67). Rather, we look to the promise of God in Christ Jesus. He lived in this world among us and He overcame the fruit of this fallen, corrupt and cursed world. He saw a deaf man, and He made him healthy and whole. He saw dead Lazarus, and He raised him up to new life. He Himself died, was buried in the grave and descended into Hades, but on the third day Jesus rose from the dead, walked out from His grave and had unlocked the very gates of Hades. Jesus gives us this foundational victory in our Baptism. We believe His words, take comfort in His promise and faith yields the good works built upon the foundation of Jesus for the benefit of our neighbors. God alone is righteous, and He has given us His very righteousness through His Son Jesus Christ. This is our hope and our faith for it rests upon Christ and His gospel promise to us. Truly, Jesus has done all things well.  Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You alone are worthy to be blessed and praised at all times, strengthen our faith in You so that we rely upon You alone for salvation and hope in the new creation to arrive at Your second advent. Amen.  

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

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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 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2019 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2020 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Bayer, Oswald. Living by Faith: Justification and Sanctification. Copyright © 2003 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 

Lockwood, Gregory. 1. Corinthians. Copyright © 2000 Concordia Publishing House. 

Murphy, G. Ronald, Tr. The Heliand. Copyright © 1992 Oxford University Press.

Nagel, Norman. Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis. Frederick W. Baue, Ed. Copyright © 2004 Concordia Publishing House. 

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