Sermon A: 12 S Pente: Rom 9:6

For the 12th Sunday after Pentecost the sermon to be preached at Prince of Peace, Crestwood, MO is from one of the three assigned readings: Isaiah 55:1-5; Romans 9:1-13 and Matthew 14:13-21. The text for the sermon is Romans 9:6, "But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel."

Most laymen appreciate the use of a Concordance. However, without a knowledge of the original languages of the Bible, a concordance can actually be a hindrance to proper interpretation. For example, while the English word "love" appears in many translations, there are at least three Greek words for which "love" is the English equivalent.

So also the English word "law" while being a translation of either "torah" or "nomos" has at least 8 different meanings depending on the context. The word "Israel" also has different meanings even though both the original languages and the English translations use the same words. The verse states that "they are not all Israel who are of Israel."

The first Israel refers to the nation of Israel that is dependent on being related to Abraham by the flesh. The second Israel refers to the new Israel; that is, the holy Christian Church through trust in the promises of God. Such an interpretation clarifies later verses that indicate that "all Israel will be saved." That phrase does not refer to the Jewish nation but to the elect of the holy Christian Church. In Galatians Paul underscores this by reveals that in Christ there is no distinction between male or female, Jew or Gentile, slave or free.

The Law of this sermon accuses the hearer of taking some credit in either becoming a Christian or remaining a Christian. However, if the Christian is part of the new Israel, that means that God has made all the decisions to make you a part of His holy people. The Law also opposes any notion that a Jew is a worse sinner than Gentiles for each of us is responsible for the death of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, the passage also answers the oft-repeated notion that people will be saved if they are Jewish. None of us are saved because of our heritage but because through faith given to us by the Holy Spirit, we have received the benefits of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that is, the forgiveness of sins and the robe of holy righteousness. By God's grace, the hearers will be motivated to share the Gospel with anyone regardless of whether Gentile or Jewish.

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Sermon A: 11 S Pentecost: Mt 13:44

One of the most interesting parables is part of the three readings assigned for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost which include Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Romans 8:28-39 and Matthew 13:44-52. The text chosen to preach on at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City is Matthew 13:44, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

The title of the sermon is, "Have You Given Up Enough For the Kingdom of God?" In preaching a radical theology of Law and Gospel, one technique is to go along with the commonsensical interpretation of a passage to make your point with the goal of getting the listeners to be thoroughly confused about their interpretation. This passage is a perfect case in point.

The normal (commonsensical) interpretation is that the kingdom of heaven is such a treasure that one should be willing to give up everything for that kingdom. However, the text is clear that the man ends up purchasing the kingdom which of course no one who is a sinner can possibly afford.

The key to this parable, as is the key to most of the parables, is that Jesus is the real subject of attention. Because the old Adam lives under the Law in wanting to get credit for salvation, it is easy to misinterpret most parables, including this one, to make us the center of attention rather than Jesus.

The fact is that the man does not represent us; the man is none other than Jesus Himself Who buys us not with gold or silver but with His holy blood and innocent suffering and death. The sermon is not about how we do something to get into the kingdom of heaven but rather how His death and resurrection resulted in our being brought into the kingdom of heaven.

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Sermon A: 10 Pente: Mt 13:24

Looking forward to preaching at Ascension Lutheran Church in St Louis this coming Sunday, the 10th Sunday after Pentecost, the three readings from which to choose a text are Isaiah 44:6-8; Romans 8:18-27 and Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. The text chosen to preach about is Matthew 13:24, "Another parable He put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.'"

Because most Christians know well the parable of the sower, they often get confused in regard to the interpretation of this parable of the tares and the wheat. For example, they might conclude that the seed sown is the Word of God and the sower represents every Christian who needs to be witnessing. The tares would represent false doctrine which grows up into heretics.

However, as with the parable of the Sower, so also in this parable of the tares and the wheat, Jesus does us a favor in interpreting and applying the text for us. Surprisingly, the good seed is not the Word of God but the sons of the kingdom while the tares are the sons of the devil. The sower is the Son of Man, referring, of course, to Jesus the Messiah.

The interpretation of the parable is that the tares should not be removed from the fellowship of the congregation lest you also uproot believers. On Judgment Day, God will use His angels to separate the tares (unbelievers) from the wheat (believers) much as the parable in Matthew 25 has the angels separating the goats from the sheep.

However, what is the L&G application? Is it that no congregation ought to remove anyone from the fellowship lest you remove true believers? That would mean that the practice of excommunication could no longer take place--as though that many congregations are making use of that act of true love.

The key to our problem is the word "tares" which refers to a plant that looks a lot like wheat until the time of the harvest when the fruit is lacking. For you see, tares are not just any kind of unbeliever--they represent what is referred to as a hypocrite. A hypocrite knows that he or she is not a Christian but they play the game of being a Christian for self-centered reasons. It is impossible for the members of the church to discern the difference between true believers and hypocrites because only God can judge the heart.

However, in regard to excommunication, there is no need to judge the heart. One only needs to inquire whether or not repentance is present over sin. Excommunication is not used against those who sin but for those who sin without repentance. It is clear to the other members of the congregation who needs to be excommunicated simply by asking such a person whether or not he or she is repentant over sin. If not, excommunication is the loving action to take for the sake of saving the soul of the unbeliever by God's grace.

Another point that needs to be emphasized from a L&G perspective, is that no one became a son of the kingdom by any work; rather, the Son of Man is the one who sows the good seed. All credit is given to God and God alone without any merit or worthiness on our part which contributed to our salvation. Indeed, the parable does describe the work of God in the kingdom of heaven here on earth; that is, the holy Christian Church.

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Sermon A: 9 S Pent: Rom 8:13

On July 13, 2008, the 9th Sunday after Pentecost provides us with 3 readings including Isaiah 55:10-13, Romans 8:12-17 and Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. Chosen to apply is Romans 8:13, "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

Ask someone how they can know whether they are living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. The answer of the vast majority of human beings is that the flesh sins but the Spirit does good works. They will say this even though in the previous chapter Paul, the apostle, admits that he can't do the good he wants to do and finds himself doing the evil which he abhors.

In verse 2 of chapter 8 Paul speaks of the "Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Most Christians can figure out the law of sin and death; that is, you sin--you die! That law or principle is called the curse of the Law in which God revealed that in the day that you sin, you shall surely die. It's what happened to Adam and Eve the day they sinned. For the death which is spoken of is the separation between them and God due to sin.

What most Christians cannot express adequately is this law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that frees us from the law of sin and death. For most of us, it sounds like the Spirit frees us from death by helping us no longer to sin. For they read that the law of sin and death means that when you sin, you get death. Thus, salvation must have something to do with me no longer sinning.

That is correct if you are talking about every other religion in the world besides Christianity. For they all teach in one form or another the need to obey, follow, imitate, agree with and so forth the will of God so that we are no longer doing, thinking or saying the things that would result in death. The method of salvation for every other religion in the world is to get rid of the cause which results in eternal death. The cause is sin; get rid of it.

However, the holy Trinity reveals something quite astounding. There are two parts to the law of sin and death; namely, sin and then death. While all other religions concentrate on getting rid of the cause that leads to death, the holy Trinity got rid of the consequence of sin; namely, death. Is it not clear that when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He did not save us by taking away our sin in the sense that we no longer sin. Of course not. Just look in the mirror of the Law.

The plan of salvation decided from before the foundation of the world was that the second Person of the Trinity would step in and take upon Himself the death that should have been ours. That was fulfilled with the words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Answer: "Because You are experiencing the death that was to be the consequence of the sins of all mankind."

The gift of the forgiveness of sins assumes that Christians still sin. We are saved not because we no longer sin but because the consequence for our sins has been paid for by Jesus Christ. Walking in the Spirit does not take place because the cause of eternal death is no longer happening. No, the cause; that is sin, still occurs day in and day out. What is no longer in play is the consequence of eternal separation from God for all those who cling through faith to His gracious promises.

For theologians of self-glory who imagine that salvation is evident through our good works, they put the cart before the horse. For though good works do occur in the life of the Christian, they in no way contribute to our being saved. For true salvation is the taking away of the curse of the Law and that didn't take place because we stopped from sinning but because of the Gospel revelation that the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ did what was impossible for us to do--He became sin that we might be the righteousness of God in Him. What a paradoxical view of salvation indeed!

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Sermon A: 8 S Pentecost: Rom 7:19

For the 8th Sunday after Pentecost on July 6, 2008, the readings for that day are Zechariah 9:9-12, Romans 7:14-25a and Matthew 11:25-30. Preaching at St. John's in Ballwin, the chosen text is Romans 7:19, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice."

This passage from Romans 7 is one of the most disputed passages in regard to the condition of the human being. What is at dispute is whether Paul is referring to himself prior to his salvation or after he has been saved. For those who live under the Law expecting a complete change in behavior on the part of the believer, Paul must be talking about his condition prior to his conversion.

The problem with that is that the verbs are in the present tense. Earlier in the chapter Paul does use the past tense to describe himself before conversion. But verses 15 through 24 speak of the Christian Paul filled with the Holy Spirit. Verse 21 makes it clear that Paul is a Christian because he does will to do good and according to verse 22 his inward man delights in the law of God. No unbeliever would be able to make such statements.

But how is an unbeliever filled with the Holy Spirit unable to practice what he wills to do and ends up doing what he hates to do (verse 15) or as verse 19 reveals, not doing good but practicing evil? The answer is found in one of those paradoxes filling the Bible in which God recognizes the Christian as one who is a sinner deserving nothing but temporal and eternal punishment while at the same time as one who is a saint worthy to receive the blessed body and blood of God Himself through his mouth.

Only the distinctions between Law and Gospel unravel the apparent paradox. For from the point of view of the Law's demands, even the Christian filled with the Holy Spirit remains unable to do one work without sin. The old Adam is involved in every motivation we have and that motivation is always self-centered and sinful. However, the new Man received in baptism, never sins but has that motivation which is pure and sinless.

This old man/new man struggle will continue until the day when this mortal will receive immortality. On that Day of Judgment, our new bodies with our spirits will never sin by thought, word or deed. We will be blameless and sinless. But until that Day, we remain as poor, miserable sinners in need of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through which we receive the forgiveness of sins and the robe of righteousness. Through faith in Him we are indeed delivered from our bodies of death even while we are here on earth!

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