Sermon for
Septuagesima, February 1, 2026
Grace, mercy,
and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 37:21-29 21The
wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and give. 22So those God blesses will
inherit the earth, but those he curses will be cut off. 23By the Lord the steps of a
person are made secure. Then he will
delight in his way. 24Though
he falls, he will not stay down, because the Lord holds him by his hand. 25I was a young man. Now I am old.
But I have never seen a righteous person forsaken or his children
begging for bread. 26Every
day he is gracious and lends. His
children will be blessed. 27Turn
back from evil and do good. Then you
will remain forever. 28For
the Lord loves justice. He will not
forsake his favored ones. They will be
protected forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. 29The righteous will inherit the
earth. They will dwell on it forever.
(EHV)
Live
forever in the Lord’s righteousness.
Dear fellow redeemed,
Psalm
37 is a study in contrast of the wicked and the righteous. Here, in our sermon text, the topic is
particularly our relationship with material things. For the wicked person, that man or woman
without true repentance or faith in God, the things of this world are the only
things that matter. On the other hand,
those counted as righteous by God are those who have believed His Word and by
the power of the Holy Spirit in that Word consider the things to come after
this life as most important and most valuable to possess. Thus, we are encouraged to Live forever in
the Lord’s righteousness.
This morning, we also
consider The Seventh Commandment: You
shall not steal. What
does this mean? Martin Luther explained: “We should
fear and love God, so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or goods, nor
get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his goods
and means of making a living.”
Now, I am fairly confident
that most of us present this morning would consider ourselves honest in our
dealing with money and goods.
Furthermore, we are likely to be pretty generous in our giving, both to
church and perhaps also to charity. So,
does that make us righteous before God?
The answer, of course, is that even doing our very best still leaves us
far short of the glory of God. The
prophet, Isaiah, explained that because all of mankind is infected with
inherited sin, “All of us have become like something unclean, and all our
righteous acts are like a filthy cloth.” (Isaiah 64:6)
So, going back to our text
we read, “The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious
and give.” That sounds like we could
be in the clear, doesn’t it? Who among
us would borrow without intending to repay?
However, how often do we consider that everything we possess is lent to
us by God who is the owner of all creation?
It is in this very thing that we likely sin much. People pile up money and possessions, not so
that they can share with others, but for their own use or pleasure. We pile up savings for our retirement years
as if God might not provide.
Now, of course, saving for
retirement is just doing good planning, correct? We should be wise in our planning both for
retirement and for our daily business dealings.
To not plan is to plan to fail, so the saying goes, and we know that is
true. So, what kind of muddled mess are
we in? To be honest, we are sinners in a
broken world and try as we might, we will never be perfect in our dealings with
money or our neighbors in need. I know I
personally struggle with deciding when I should give to those who have less
than me. Do they have a real need, or
are they squandering their money foolishly?
Am I helping if I give or only enabling bad behavior or addictions? All these thoughts run through our minds and
often we can’t know the answers.
But, as we read through
our sermon text, did you notice all the promises God makes? Yes, He does, indeed, condemn the
wicked. By the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, the psalmist wrote, “those he curses will be cut off,” and “the
descendants of the wicked will be cut off.” To live apart from true righteousness will
certainly lead to God pouring out His wrath upon the wicked. Hell, with all its torments, awaits those who
are not blessed with righteousness. That
is why the psalmist implores us all to “Turn back from evil and do good.” Yet, as believing Christians, we do most
definitely desire to do good. The power
of the Spirit working in us motivates us to do the good works God intends for
us to do. St. Paul wrote to the
Ephesians, “For 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)
When he was a monk trying
to do everything he could to please God, Martin Luther was tormented day and
night with the reality that he could never live up to the just demands of the
law. He could never live up to the
righteousness of God. However, through
his dedicated study of the Scriptures, there came a day when he finally
understood what God has promised us throughout His holy Word. St. Paul made it clear in the letter to the
Romans, “But now, completely apart from the law, a righteousness from God
has been made known. The Law and the
Prophets testify to it. This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and over all
who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22)
This external
righteousness comes to us through faith in Jesus. It is through believing in Him that we are
counted holy in the courtroom of the Lord.
Once the Holy Spirit grants us this faith, then look at what God
promises us through the psalmist: “By the Lord the steps of a person are
made secure. Then he will delight in his
way. Though he falls, he will not stay
down, because the Lord holds him by his hand.” Consequently, we can look at the material
things of this world in a whole new light.
Now, we can trust that God will always provide and we don’t have to
worry about tomorrow’s needs. Now, when
given the opportunity to be generous, it flows much easier from our hearts
through our hands.
Considering the 7th
commandment that we do not steal, it is by faith that we gladly obey. It is by faith that we make plans to use our
property and goods in God-pleasing ways and according to His plans and not ours
alone. By the faith in Jesus we are
given, we now truly do desire to share with the world this comforting hope,
that Christ has lived and died and rose again to give us righteousness. As you have heard many times before, “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)
One thing that can never
be denied is that our Lord has certainly been generous with us. Whether we are millionaires or living in a
cardboard box on the street, God has given us life. He gives us our daily bread in whatever way
that is needed. He gives us air to
breath, water and food, and oh so many other physical blessings. Best of all, He gave His Son as the atoning
sacrifice for the sins of the world, so that no one can say that Jesus didn’t
give His life for me. Jesus Himself declared,
“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)
Now, having become the
beneficiaries of God’s mercy and generosity, hear again the promises the
psalmist makes: “Those God blesses will inherit the earth, … the Lord holds
him by his hand. … His children will be blessed. … Then you will remain
forever. For the Lord loves
justice. He will not forsake his favored
ones. … The righteous will inherit the earth.
They will dwell on it forever.”
Amen. Amen. And amen.
What greater gift could God give us than His own dear Son? How much more do we expect God to provide for
us than all we need for body and life?
What greater future do we desire than to dwell with our Lord and God in
heaven for all eternity? This is where
we need to keep our focus, not on any perceived daily shortcomings in wealth,
but in the riches of heaven prepared for those who love God.
Jesus told His followers, “So
do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What
will we wear?” For the unbelievers chase
after all these things. Certainly your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew
6:31-33) What amazing generosity our God
has shown us! That no matter what our
position in this life, He has granted eternal life to all those who believe in
His Son.
Dear friends, as we
approach the Lord our God in confession of our sins, and at the altar where He
feeds us with His body and blood in the bread and wine, trust the promises God
makes: that your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, (1 John 2:12) “that all
things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are
called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) “Whoever believes and is baptized will be
saved.” (Mark 16:16) Finally, from
the Revelation given to St. John, we hear what our future surely holds. He reports,
And
from the throne I heard a loud voice that said, “Look! God’s dwelling is with people. He will dwell with them, and they will be his
people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more death or
sorrow or crying or pain, because the former things have passed away.” The one who was seated on the throne said to
me, “Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:3-5)
Dear friends, be
encouraged by these words. Live
forever in the Lord’s righteousness. Amen.
The
LORD is good. His mercy endures
forever. His faithfulness continues
through all generations. Amen.
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