God gives righteousness and life by a promise.

 

Sermon for Trinity 13, August 29, 2021

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen. 

Galatians 3:15–22  ¹⁵Brothers, I am speaking in human terms.  When someone has established a last will and testament, no one nullifies it or adds to it.  ¹⁶The promises God spoke referred to Abraham and to his seed.  It doesn’t say, “And to seeds,” as if it were referring to many, but, as referring to one, “And to your seed,” who is Christ.  ¹⁷What I am saying is this: The law, which came into being 430 years after the covenant established earlier by God in Christ, does not annul that covenant, with the result that it invalidates the promise.  ¹⁸In fact, if the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by the promise.  But God graciously gave it to Abraham by a promise.  ¹⁹Then what about the law?  It was added for the purpose of revealing transgressions, until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.  It was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator.  ²⁰Now a mediator is not needed for one party, but God is one.  ²¹Then is the law against the promises of God?  Certainly not!  For if there had been a law given that could give life, certainly righteousness would have been derived from the law.  ²²But Scripture imprisoned all things under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ would be given to those who believe. (EHV)

God gives righteousness and life by a promise.

Dear beneficiaries of God’s promise,

            I believe it is still true that most people hope to go to heaven someday.  However, for many of them, it goes something like, “I hope I go to heaven.”  Or, “I hope I have been good enough to get there.”  Or even, “I hope that when I die, God will let me in.”  Unfortunately, for far too many people, that hope is actually just wishful thinking based on how well they perceive their own behavior in this life, for they assume that the law can be kept well enough to earn God’s reward.

This questionable attitude comes to us naturally, for even as children, we were focused on law; our parents taught us what we should do, and if we obeyed, we were usually rewarded, but if we didn’t obey, we soon learned that punishment was coming.  We didn’t always like the punishment, but we learned to expect it.  Even if our parents failed to teach us everything about right and wrong, natural law written in our hearts leads us to believe that evil will be punished and good should be rewarded.

Unsurprisingly then, law became a problem in Galatia.  Not that the law was bad or that people were generally breaking the laws of the land, but the Galatians were being tormented with the idea that receiving God’s forgiveness and salvation depended upon their submission to the laws of Moses.  Therefore, much of Paul’s letter to the Galatians refutes that idea.  Our sermon text testifies that, completely apart from the law, God gives righteousness and life by a promise.

In our text, Paul compared the gift of salvation to that of an inheritance.  No law-abiding society would ever allow someone to change a properly written and executed last will and testament after the owner’s death.  Surely, out of greed, or anger, or whatever, many people have tried, but the rule of law strictly forbids denying or changing a properly executed will to go against the owner’s wishes.  We rely on that concept, still today, when we hire a lawyer to draw up our wills.

This concept is universally accepted, so Paul relates it with an example from Jewish history; he wrote, “The promises God spoke referred to Abraham and to his seed.  It doesn’t say, ‘And to seeds’ as if it were referring to many, but, as referring to one, ‘And to your seed,’ who is Christ.”  God gave Abraham several promises: first, possession of a good land and a great many descendants, but most importantly, the unconditional promise of One descendant through whom “All of the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)  Abraham would have uncountable descendants, but especially, this one “‘Seed,’ who is Christ.”  The promise came without any contribution from Abraham, but “Abram believed in the Lord, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

Now, our human nature automatically assumes that Abraham must have done something good for God to make such great promises to him.  We are conditioned by the opinion of the law to expect that each party contributes to the transaction, but the truth is, Abraham did nothing.  God chose Abraham out of a nation of idolaters and made these promises to him simply because God, in His mercy, had chosen Abraham and his descendants to be the family through whom God would carry out His promise of a Savior from sin and death made to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Paul continued, “What I am saying is this: The law, which came into being 430 years after the covenant established earlier by God in Christ, does not annul that covenant, with the result that it invalidates the promise.”  Moses’ law added nothing to God’s promise.  It didn’t even exist until four hundred and thirty years later.  It’s the same way with a will; even though our human nature likes to tempt us into thinking we can influence the gift giver if we do nice things for him before he dies, but the gifts given through a will, by definition, have nothing to do with any works that preceded the will.  If the will-writer is expected to reward some effort, it becomes a debt that must be paid, having nothing to do with the last will and testament.  Paul rightly argued, “If the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by the promise.  But God graciously gave it to Abraham by a promise.”

There is a bigger problem, however, for anyone expecting God to reward him based on obedience.  Because of sin, we never merit a reward based on the law.  In this letter to the Galatians, Paul had already written that “In fact, those who rely on the works of the law are under a curse.  For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law.’” (Galatians 3:10)  In order for anyone to be saved by his own obedience, every aspect of the law must be obeyed perfectly for that person’s whole life from conception until death.  Since, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) any connection with the law makes salvation impossible.  If we must obey any command in order to be saved, we cannot be saved, because “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point has become guilty of breaking all of it,” (James 2:10) and would thus be cursed.  Therefore, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life can only be ours through the gift of God.

 “Then what about the law?  It was added for the purpose of revealing transgressions, until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.  It was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator.”  The Mosaic law was put over God’s people because of our universal disobedience.  The law was to be a mark of separation from the world.  In Israel’s case, the mediator was Moses, who serves as a foreshadow of Christ who is our Mediator with God the Father.  But the point, here, is that the law stands apart from God’s promise.  Law, and any obedience of it, contribute nothing to our salvation. 

Paul continued, “Now a mediator is not needed for one party, but God is one.  Then is the law against the promises of God?  Certainly not!”  God gives us law for our good in this world, especially to show us our need for God’s promised mercy.  Our catechism explains that the law serves three purposes: as curb, mirror, and guide.  Law does somewhat curb gross sin in this world which benefits God’s people.  Law also guides us in knowing how God wants us to live as believers in this world.  But most importantly, the law shows us our sin so that we know we need God’s intervention lest we be lost for eternity.  So, the law doesn’t oppose God’s grace but rather is another facet of the providence of our loving God. 

Rhetorically, Paul asks, “Then is the law against the promises of God?  Certainly not!  For if there had been a law given that could give life, certainly righteousness would have been derived from the law.  But Scripture imprisoned all things under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ would be given to those who believe.”  If even one human could have obeyed God’s law, there would have been no need for a Savior, but as Paul had already shown, the law only condemns us, because we have no ability to obey it perfectly.  We all were confined—imprisoned—by sin, and the law gives no escape.

There is good news, though, forgiveness and salvation have no connection with what we do.  Instead, God gives righteousness and life by a promise.  The forgiveness and holiness sinners need to stand before God is given to us as a free gift through faith in God’s promised, anointed One—the Messiah, the Christ.  Because Jesus died for us, the promised salvation is our inheritance by God’s grace.

Rather than eternally condemn every sinner, God provided salvation for all who believe by giving His own dear Son into condemnation and death in the place of us all.  Jesus Christ came into this world for that purpose, to make good His Father’s promise.  We couldn’t win our release from death’s prison.  The law was no help.  Only God’s Son had the perfect ability to obey His Father’s will to earn our release, which Jesus did throughout His earthly life for our benefit.  Furthermore, being true God as well as true Man, Jesus could take up His life again after suffering our punishment and death. 

Because it pleased our Creator to save us from the rebellion that brought us death, God promised a Savior for all.  Because God gives righteousness and life by a promise, true righteousness has nothing to do with our imperfect obedience, but everything to do with Christ’s willing obedience and complete faithfulness to His Father on our behalf.  Jesus’ obedience to His Father’s will is complete, and perfect for all time.  It is now credited to us through faith in Christ Jesus.

At the death of every rich person, there is interest in what the last will and testament will reveal.  Who will get the great wealth?  Might someone go from rags to riches?  A death is also involved in God’s last will and testament—Jesus’ death on the cross.  The last will and testament of our Savior declares that “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  God put no conditions in His will that would keep us from the gift He wants to give, and the will was put into effect when Jesus said, "It is finished," (John 19:30) and gave up His life.

Dear friends, all the good works you and I could do would not gain us God’s favor, but by the death of His Son, we have inherited a treasure that far exceeds all the gold in the world.  Based on what Jesus has done for you and me, the riches of God’s grace are never ending, because we have the perfect righteousness of Jesus, God’s own dear Son, and the LORD wants every sinner to believe His promise and enjoy eternal life, the same promise that gave Abraham eternal life in heaven.

If you should ever find yourself in the predicament those Galatians experienced, in which someone tries to convince you that salvation is conditional upon something you must do, then flee from that uncertainty of trying to earn status before God, for already right now, Jesus’ righteousness is credited to you and to all.  “That is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)

Likewise, God was so determined to have you believe in Jesus that He had you baptized into the Christian faith, thereby washing away your sins and anointing you personally with Christ’s perfect holiness.  God is likewise so determined that you and many others believe and be saved that even to this day He sends preachers around the world proclaiming the message of His last will and testament, so that as many people as possible will hear the Good News of forgiveness, life, and salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, because God gives righteousness and life by a promise—a promise to you. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, forevermore.  Amen.

God, I thank You, that You cover me with Jesus.

 

Sermon for Trinity 11, August 15, 2021

Grace, mercy, and peace to you all from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Luke 18:9–14  ⁹Jesus told this parable to certain people who trusted in themselves (that they were righteous) and looked down on others: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple courts to pray.  One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.  ¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  ¹²I fast twice a week.  I give a tenth of all my income.’  ¹³“However the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes up to heaven, but was beating his chest and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  ¹⁴“I tell you, this man went home justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (EHV)

God, I thank You, that You cover me with Jesus.

Dear penitent sinners,

            As we consider this text, the absolute worst thing any of us could do is to think we are better people than this Pharisee.  Naturally, it would be easy for us to think we would never act so proudly arrogant as he did.  Who could be so cocky and bold to brag before God that he is so much better than his neighbors?  Yet, I suspect that if God was willing to testify against us, that is exactly what we would hear ourselves saying in our daily lives:

“God, I thank You that I am not like that drunk driver who killed those kids.  God, I thank You that I am not like that jerk who so piously sits in church every Sunday then goes home to beat his wife, or cheat on her.  God, I thank You that I am not like that gossipy old lady down the street (you should hear what she told me yesterday).  God, I thank you that I am not like those politicians who tell us how to live but don’t do the same themselves.  God, I thank you that I am not like that drug dealer who causes so many people so much trouble.  God, I thank you that I am not like that cop who pulled his trigger too quickly.  God, I thank you that I am not like that girl who sells drugs, or her body.  God, I thank You that I am not like that man who gets his girlfriend pregnant but then abandons her.”

It doesn’t take very long at all to see that most of us “good” people find it very easy to judge others’ faults, even while we are quite willing to overlook our own.  It may be that we are not so perfectly humble as we would hope to be.

On the other hand, it would also be easy for us to hear this parable and imagine that Jesus is telling us just to humble ourselves like that tax collector, as if should we have virtuous humility, God will overlook every fault and welcome us into heaven as we are.  This parable is easily misunderstood to mean that God doesn’t hold firm to actual justice.  There are modern-day theologians who preach just that.  Repent and God doesn’t care what you do.  But, is that true?  Could our questionable humility actually cover our great guilt?  Not when God says, “You therefore shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45)

Jesus rightly condemned that Pharisee’s prayer because that man wasn’t actually confessing anything before God other than his firm belief that God should be proud of the Pharisee’s obedience of law.  Indeed, the man was proud of himself and his efforts.  Modern sociologists and psychologists would be duly impressed by that man’s self-esteem, but it won’t ever hold up in God’s courtroom.

The tax collector, however, is the complete opposite; he simply begged, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”  Whenever an Israelite came to the temple to plead for forgiveness, it was expected, even commanded, that he would bring a sacrifice to offer to the Lord, a sheep, or goat, or perhaps a young bull, or whatever it was they could afford.  The animal gave its blood for the sin of the one making the offering.

Jesus didn’t say whether either of those two men offered that typical sacrifice, but it would be unlikely for either to neglect it.  The Pharisee would have made the offering proudly to fulfil the law.  Yet, the tax collector would have brought that lamb knowing full well what the writer to the Hebrews later explained, “Nearly everything is cleansed with blood according to the law.  And, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:1)  All those Old Testament sacrifices made it clear that God doesn’t forgive just because He is a softie who doesn’t really care about sin and justice.  Instead, God is perfectly just in His judgement that “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  And, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

At the same time, it is clear from that tax collector’s plea that he knew the blood of his sheep couldn’t clear him before God.  Whatever sacrifice he had made, that man knew it could never be enough.  Yet, the tax collector came before the Lord, sorrowful for his sin, knowing nothing he offered would make it right, but simply pleading for God to overlook the guilt because of a greater sacrifice God had promised.

The true Old Testament religion God had given the Israelites pointed them toward the Savior to come.  The writer to the Hebrews explains, “The fact is that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.  Therefore when he entered the world, Christ said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you prepared a body for me.  You were not pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings.  Then I said, “Here I am.  I have come to do your will, God.” (Hebrews 10:4-7) 

Because all of mankind has sinned, all of mankind deserves death and everlasting punishment.  God in His mercy, however, allowed one perfect, righteous Man, His own beloved Son, to humble Himself in true humility so that He could become the substitute for the world’s deserved punishment.  In other words, “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

When Jesus judged the prayers of that Pharisee and the tax collector, He said, “I tell you, this man went home justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  The tax collector wasn’t justified because of the value of his humility, or for the perfection of his confession.  He was justified because he relied solely on the righteousness of the One truly humble Man, who we know as Christ Jesus.  Through faith, Jesus’ blood covered that tax collector’s guilt, and Jesus’ blood covers your guilt and mine as well.  Therefore, because of Jesus, you and I can go down to our houses, like that tax collector, praying God, I thank You, that You cover me with Jesus.

The point of this parable is that no sinner deserves God’s kindness, yet when we despair of anything in ourselves and simply rely on God for mercy in Christ, He gladly grants us forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.  Confirming this, St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “God, because he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses.  It is by grace you have been saved!” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

One other aspect of this parable we might consider is the status of those two men.  That Pharisee was likely well respected in society.  He was everything the people thought someone should be.  He had respect, money, power, and important friends.  Most of the people of Judea would have considered him a good man to emulate.

The tax collector, on the other hand, was an outcast in Jewish society.  Oh, he likely had money and perhaps lots of it, but his fellow Jews considered all tax collectors to be thieves and traitors.  Good Jews wanted nothing to do with them.  Whether he cheated his neighbors or not, the people counted him a traitor for collecting taxes for Rome.  Therefore, the Pharisees often derided Jesus because He was willing to associate with tax collectors and sinners.

We need to point out, however, that Jesus didn’t associate with the outcasts of society because He approved of their sin.  Rather, Jesus came to them because the outcasts and sinners needed Him.  Jesus said, “The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32)  The only righteous Man who ever lived gave Himself to rescue us sinners from the fate of eternal death.  He healed us with His sacrifice and by sending His Holy Spirit to work in us the faith that believes in Him.

The modern world often disapproves of many different kinds of people.  It disapproves of Christians because of our connection with Jesus.  In fact, Jesus said, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, for that very reason the world hates you.” (John 15:19)  Of course, we know the world often hates sinners too.  Hate is widespread simply because of skin color, language, background, or social status.  If you are in jail for a crime, you feel every day the slap of society saying you don’t belong with the rest of us.

In the kingdom of God, however, all of this disappears.  St. John wrote by the power of the Holy Spirit, “If we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)  Through faith in Jesus, we have fellowship with other Christians, but even more importantly, we have a real family connection with God. 

As we hear the Good News of all that Jesus has done in living for us and dying to pay for our sins, the Holy Spirit works faith in Jesus in the hearts of penitent sinners.  For those of us who hear and believe this Good News, St. Paul brings another promise of the Holy Spirit: “In fact, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  Indeed, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.  There is not Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one and the same in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

As St. Paul listed a whole long list of grievous types of sin, he wrote to his fellow Christian believers in Corinth, “Some of you were those types of people.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)  The same is true for us.

Dear friends, as sinners who have been brought to faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we come before God regularly confessing that we have nothing good to offer to wipe away our sins.  At the same time, we come before God trusting that Jesus has done everything needed to make us right with God and welcome in His heavenly home.

Today and every day, rejoice with me as we acknowledge the goodness and mercy of our God in Christ.  When we humbly confess our sins, we hear the absolution of our God that all our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake.  Then we go home at peace, praising God for His mercy with this prayer in our hearts, God, I thank You, that You cover me with Jesus.  Amen.

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God His Father—to Him be the glory and the power forever.  Amen.

Spirit given gifts give glory to God.

 

Sermon for Trinity 10, August 8, 2021

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:1–11  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.  ²You know that when you were pagans, you were deceived and somehow led away to mute idols.  ³Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  ⁴There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  ⁵There are various kinds of service, and yet the same Lord.  ⁶There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone.  ⁷Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  ⁸To one person a message of wisdom is given by the Spirit; to another, a message of knowledge, as the same Spirit provides it; ⁹by the same Spirit, faith is given to someone else; and to another, the same Spirit gives healing gifts.  ¹⁰Another is given powers to do miracles; another, the gift of prophecy; another, the evaluating of spirits; someone else, different kinds of tongues; and another, the interpretation of tongues.  ¹¹One and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them to each one individually as he desires. (EHV)

Spirit given gifts give glory to God.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Divisions—factions—pride—arrogance—worldliness, all of these things troubled the Corinthian congregation.  Much like the church in our times, that congregation needed instruction from the Lord’s apostle.  Many things were happening in that young congregation that could become stumbling blocks for sinners and offensive to fellow Christians, but for some reason those sinful elements had been ignored or even celebrated in that church.  Now, this accusation could also be made against so much of Christianity in our day and place.  The Christian church in the United States could only be described as divided, and many segments celebrate and promote things that are offensive to God.  Still, rather than point our fingers elsewhere, we need to examine our own hearts so that we give glory where glory is due.

Paul recognized that the Corinthian congregation had, by and large, come from a pagan background that had no knowledge of the workings of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, it was, as it still is, important that Christians not remain in pagan ignorance.  Thus, Paul writes, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.  You know that when you were pagans, you were deceived and somehow led away to mute idols.  Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” 

Because most of us were baptized into the Christian faith as infants, we have no memory of being pagans.  However, we still need to be warned for pagan ideas surround us.  Whether that be friends and neighbors practicing the wishful thinking of superstitions, or government officials imagining that they can change the future of the planet by passing another law, or simply our own fears about the future and the hardships of this life, we all have troubling influences in our lives.

Likewise, we are not in the habit of cursing Jesus, yet how often do even believers take God’s name in vain when anger or pain causes a reactive explosion from our lips?  And do we always bless and defend our Savior’s good name?  Do we always properly give thanks for the One who set us free from sin, death, and the devil?  Certainly, we all can think of people in the current culture who deny Jesus His rightful glory.  The point is none of that glorifies God nor does it come from the Spirit of God.

On the other hand, there is not one person in the history of the world who has come to believe in Jesus without the action of the Holy Spirit producing that change.  To the congregation at Rome, Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  While we do have many words recorded that came directly from Jesus’ lips, yet much more of the Scriptures came as Peter explains, “No prophecy of Scripture comes about from someone’s own interpretation.  In fact, no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)  Indeed, Jesus told His disciples, “The word that you are hearing is not mine, but it is from the Father who sent me.  I have told you these things while staying with you.  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you.” (John 14:24-26)

There are numerous gifts that come to us through the Holy Spirit, but the greatest and most important gift of the Spirit is faith in Christ Jesus.  Without faith in Jesus, there is no hope for the future, no forgiveness, no peace with God, and no everlasting life.  Thus, every other gift pales in comparison to the gift of faith, because every other gift depends on faith.

It appears that arrogance concerning the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit led to some Corinthian believers thinking themselves better people, or at least, better Christians than their fellow believers.  Paul makes it perfectly clear that this is foolish thinking.  He wrote, “There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are various kinds of service, and yet the same Lord.  There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone.”  The Holy Spirit gave the same emphasis to the Ephesians for He had Paul write to them, “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in the one hope of your calling.  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.” (Ephesians 4:3-6)  

The Spirit gives numerous gifts, and every Christian has received gifts from the Spirit, so any jealousy, or selfish pride, concerning gifts the Holy Spirit gives is simple foolishness, for our God and Lord gives only good gifts and He gives them for His good purpose of winning souls for everlasting life in heaven.  Paul wrote, “Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  For the common good means for you and me and for all fellow members of God’s Church.  Therefore, with whatever faith and talent you have received from the Spirit (and all of it is from the Spirit), those gifts are intended to be used for the good of the whole assembly of believers.  Remember, Christians make up the whole body of Christ.  “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Paul then listed several gifts of the Holy Spirit, some of which may have led to pride and arrogance among the recipients which contributed to the factions and jealousies that were dividing the congregation.  However, that would be like the knee being jealous of the eyes, or the ears being jealous of the feet.  God puts us together for the good of the whole, and this is what He plans for the people of His body, the Church.  Be assured, whatever gifts and talents God gives you, He intends for your good and for your service in His Church.

Therefore, there is no room for arrogance and selfish pride in God’s people.  No pastor should lord it over his congregation if he might be a better speaker or have more knowledge than others.  No leader should expect greater honor than the least among us because we are all one in Christ Jesus.  Those honors are for God to hand out in His time.  Our hope remains for each of us to hear His declaration on Judgement Day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Spirit given gifts give glory to God.  There is one Lord, one Father, and one Holy Spirit.  God is never divided, nor does any man or woman deserve greater glory from God here on earth.  That doesn’t mean we need to turn down recognition from those we serve, but it does mean we need to stay humble in our service of our God and our fellow Christians.

Why be humble?  Because God humbled Himself to come down to earth to rescue all of us from sin and death.  The One and Only Man who could rightly claim the glory of God made Himself nothing so that we might live in glory forever.  This knowledge is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit gifted to us the good news of all that Jesus has done to rescue us from this wretched world of sin and death.  The Spirit brought the news of a coming Savior through the prophets of old, and the Spirit brings us the news of Jesus’ victory and righteousness through the apostles Jesus appointed for the task.  All of this is to God’s glory.  He glorifies Himself by sending His Son to rescue us.

The night Jesus was betrayed into the hand of His enemies, Jesus “looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the time has come.  Glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.  For you gave him authority over all flesh, so that he may give eternal life to all those you have given him.” (John 17:1-2)  For you and me, God gave His only begotten Son to live for us a perfectly holy life and to die a death He didn’t deserve so that you and I could be counted righteous in the courtroom of heaven.  For you and me, the Father and Son together send the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament to rescue us from this troubled world.  Apart from the grace of God, there is no way out of our predicament of sin.  Only through faith in Jesus will anyone be saved. 

Thanks be to God, the Holy Spirit is ever working through the gospel in Word and Sacrament to give faith to hopeless sinners, hope to those who once were lost, life to those who had been born dead to God, and immortality and incorruption to those of us who were formerly doomed to eternal torment in hell.

At one point in our lives, all of us, like the Corinthians, “were deceived and somehow led away to mute idols.”  That is the state of natural man at birth.  However, God loves those He has chosen to believe.  God loves us enough to give His Son to be our Savior, and God loves us enough to send His Holy Spirit to enlighten us with the Gospel and bless with gifts that give us eternal life. 

Dear friends, give glory where the glory is due; Spirit given gifts give glory to God.  Amen.

Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Praise the Lord of everything.

 

Sermon for Trinity 9, August 1, 2021

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 29:10-13  ¹⁰David blessed the Lord in the presence of the entire assembly.  He said: Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel, our father, from eternity to eternity.  ¹¹To you, O Lord, belong greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty, because everything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to you.  You, Lord, are exalted as head above everything.  The kingdom belongs to you.  ¹²Riches and honor come from you.  You are ruling over everything.  In your hand are power and strength.  It is in your power to make anyone great and strong.  ¹³Now, our God, we are thanking you and praising your glorious name. (EHV)

Praise the Lord of everything.

Dear friends blessed by God,

            Some have called them trust-fund babies, or children born with a silver spoon in their mouths.  With parents rich beyond measure, they are born into a world of wealth and ease most people can only imagine.  Every whim or desire they might have could be fulfilled in an instant.  In our modern media driven age, they are often called social influencers, for as they flaunt their privileges on the various websites, their less fortunate peers are influenced to desire all the same things. 

Of course, if those parents are wise, they won’t give in to every little thing their toddlers might desire so that they don’t become insufferable, spoiled, greedy, little brats.  Still, the parents often give their children the best things their wealth can provide.

Now, I suspect that most of us here today weren’t born into that kind of wealth.  In fact, in a very real sense, we all were born into poverty and servitude.  To be blunt, I just turned the story from one of material wealth to the spiritual condition of our birth.  We each were born rich in the sins of our fathers, but poverty stricken in righteousness.  From the very first kidnapping of mankind, we were all born slaves to sin, death, and the devil, so we couldn’t even imagine the wealth David speaks about in our text.  But here’s the deal, the God David was praising didn’t leave us in the position of our poverty-stricken birth.  Instead, by granting us faith in Christ Jesus, God has adopted us into His family, whereby we are set to inherit all the riches of heaven.

It is a tale of two worlds, really, that we were born into a world so spiritually impoverished that we didn’t know God, didn’t know what and how He so willingly provides for all people, whether realized on their part or not, and didn’t know His love and mercy.  According to what natural man understands, this world is fraught with danger, hardship, inequity, and poverty.  It is why so many people struggle so hard to get what their neighbors have.  Greed, lust, covetousness—all lead to unhappiness with what we have, to overwork, to swindle, theft, affairs, jealousy, and even murder.

On the other hand, as children who have been adopted into God’s family by faith, we have wealth and blessings that the people of the devil’s kingdom cannot begin to imagine.  We have peace with God and with our own consciences.  Even in the worst of times, we have all the things we need to live on earth, and should those things ever run out, we know we have a home of riches and glory in heaven that simply cannot be described in ways the ordinary man can understand.  Finally, when death draws near, we have the sure knowledge that our debts have been paid in full and we will live in heaven in a mortgage free mansion greater than any home ever assembled on earth.  Therefore, as children of the Almighty, everlasting God, we can and should Praise the Lord of everything.

Our sermon text comes as the nation of Israel contributed an immense offering for the building of the temple of the Lord.  David also had given enormous piles of precious metals and stones, along with other fine materials for God’s house.  Yet, here, David and his people proclaimed no selfish pride in their great gifts because they recognized that God had provided all those riches to His people and enabled them to make those generous offerings.  So, let’s break down David’s praise.

Immediately, David recognized the relationship God had bestowed on them.  He said, “Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel, our father, from eternity to eternity.”  Like us, the Israelites had not chosen God.  Rather, God had chosen that people over a thousand years previously when He called Abram out of a land of idolators.  Furthermore, God had rescued this nation out of bitter slavery in Egypt and given them a land flowing with milk and honey, and homes they didn’t have to build, in which to live and thrive.  All of that was completely by God’s mercy and grace.

Furthermore, David sang about the true ownership of all things.  So often, believer and unbeliever alike forget that all good things come from God.  Our sinful nature inclines us to imagine that we produce wealth and power.  Our nature also inclines us to jealousy, unkindness, stinginess, and especially to put ourselves above God.  Yet, in firm faith, David sang, “To you, O Lord, belong greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty, because everything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to you.”  At the time, David was nearing the end of his reign as one of the most powerful kings of his time.  Surrounding nations had bowed down before him in defeat, yet David understood that it all came from the Lord, so we see David Praise the Lord of everything.

That, dear friends, is how we praise the Lord—by recognizing that God is the source and provider for everything and everyone.  In fact, the greatest way we can praise the Lord is by trusting His promise that He not only provides for all our earthly needs, but that God has also provided for our spiritual needs.  By that, we recognize that God provides mercy, forbearance, and forgiveness.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, we believe that “God, because he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses.  It is by grace you have been saved!” (Ephesians 2:4-5) 

St. Peter wrote of the Lord’s forbearance, “The Lord is not slow to do what he promised, as some consider slowness.  Instead, he is patient for your sakes, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)  Of this grace, we can be completely certain, because God gave His Son into death so that we wouldn’t have to pay our debt of sin, nor the debt of sin we inherited from our fathers, because “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

In our times, there is a lot of fuss and bother about the government possibly forgiving the debt students have accumulated in college.  Some claim it is necessary for the good of our nation.  Others argue it would cost too much, and many consider the idea unethical.  In contrast, however, God freely forgave the massive debt of the sins of the world.  For all our rebellious, selfish acts, all our evil and unbelieving thoughts, our lack of love for our neighbors, for every broken command, and even for the sin of not knowing our Creator as God and Lord—all sins were paid for by Jesus on the cross. 

If there has ever been a people made rich by adoption through faith in the Lord, it is those of us who believe in Jesus.  For people just like you and me, the Son of God, who possessed all the wealth and glory of heaven and earth, came down to earth to live in perfect humility and service on our behalf.  Therefore, for Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice, David said, “You, Lord, are exalted as head above everything.  The kingdom belongs to you.  Riches and honor come from you.  You are ruling over everything.  In your hand are power and strength.  It is in your power to make anyone great and strong.  Now, our God, we are thanking you and praising your glorious name.” 

The texts for our worship service this morning are centered around the idea of stewardship.  For many people, that assumes a plea for more offerings for the church.  However, true stewardship isn’t worried so much about what God demands back from us.  Rather, it focuses on the blessings God has given us and how best we might use everything He gives us for His glory and service.  That means we consider the time we are given and the talents we are blessed with.  It means we gladly and willingly devote our lives to God’s service in everything we do, remembering that everything we do to serve our neighbors, families, and fellow man is a good and pleasing thing to the Lord when done by His children in faith.

Sometimes, when we consider our record of stewardship, our heads hang in shame, for we see in ourselves a record of being guilty of selfishness with our time, talents, and treasures.  Honest Christians confess that we have sometimes been lacking in trust, lacking in honest evaluation of the blessings God gives us, lacking in willing service, and lacking in mercy for others who offend us.

At the same time, we have every reason to rejoice with King David, because God has given us so many reasons to Praise the Lord of everything.  Because of God’s goodness and love, He daily and richly provides everything we need for our bodies and life.  Most importantly, God gave us a Savior who shed His blood to cover our guilt.  Because of Jesus, no great sacrifice is needed from us, for God keeps no record of our wrongs or weaknesses.  Because of Jesus, we have peace with God, and because of Jesus we have an eternal home in heaven where we will give thanks and praise to God face to face without fear or trembling, because we have been made right with God and He has welcomed us into His family through the adoption of Baptism where He washed away our sins as He declared us His children by the promise of the gospel.

Dear friends, trusting that you are a child of God, with an inheritance of eternal riches and blessing through faith in Christ Jesus, Praise the Lord of everything.  He is your Father “from eternity to eternity.”  Amen.

Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.