Law & Gospel with Tom Baker

LAW & GOSPEL UPDATED AND MOVED!

2009-03-14T19:29:00.003-05:00

Dear readers and friends,

We have udpated this blog. To read new posts, you must go to http://www.lawgospel.com/blog

You will need to change your links and/or RSS feeds to http://www.lawgospel.com/ if you see torelion.blogspot.com in any of your links.

Updates and new material are continuing to take place, so feel free to provide your feedback. At the new site, you can still get all the blogs from the last few years.

Tell your friends to access the blog at www.lawgospel.com/blog

Thank you!

Tom Baker

Sermon B: 3 S Lent: 1 Cor 1:22

2009-03-09T20:55:00.002-05:00

For the third Sunday in Lent, the three readings for Church Year B are Exodus 20:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and John 2:13-25. The text chosen on which to preach is 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom."

The most important part of the sermon is to make sure that Law and the Gospel reach the target audience. For a radio program the target audience is usually those who would best appreciate what is being said. For a cooking program, the target audience are cooks; for a landscapping program, the target audience are gardeners and so forth. But what is the primary target audience for a religious program of either sermon or Bible class?

Most preachers would suggest that the target audience are the specific individuals in the congregation or the listening audience. However, such a view would mean that the message needs to be used that best reaches that audience. According to verse 22 of 1 Corinthians, Jews are best reached if you can persuade by a sign, a miracle, or some evidence. And Grentiles are best reached if you persuade them by reason or logic. However, it is clear from this verse that such a means of persuasion cannot work with Christianity. For it is impossible to persuade an unbeliever by a sign or reason since what Christians believe offers no evidence and is totally unreasonable!

As the Bible reveals, even were someone to rise from the dead, no one would be persuaded. And even if the wisest of philosophers used reason and logic to the best of his ability, no unbeliever would be persuaded. Why? Because the message of Christianity is foolishness to those who are perishing (verse 18). Then, who is the primary target audience of the preacher. Our answer will surprise you.

The primary target audience is not human--the primary target audience is the Holy Spirit! What does that mean? Glad you asked. As host of Law and Gospel on radio station AM 850 KFUO for over a dozen years, the question is asked as to how many people I have converted. The answer is always the same--none! Conversion is not our job--it is the work of the Holy Spirit. If converting people made a preacher successful, then Jesus was the worst preacher of all time unable to persuade even His own hometown. Yet the Father still considered Him as One in Whom He was well pleased. How so?

Because the success of the witness is not in the results but in the proper use of the means of grace. Jesus was successful always regardless of the response on the part of listeners but because He clearly and accurately spoke the Word of God. Today our message needs to be stated in such a way that the Holy Spirit can make use of the Word of God in creating a new heart and renewing a right spirit. God does not work through false doctrine.

It is not that the listener is never a target audience. It is just that the listeners are secondary targets. First get the Word straight and then use that part of the Word of God which best touches the lives and problems of the listener. That is, to a listener at a funeral, use the Gospel promises dealing with the sure hope of those who trust in Jesus Christ. To a listener at a wedding, use the Gospel promises that deal with Jesus Christ as the third person in every marriage and the promises He brings to such a covenant.

While the temporal realm may properly use evidence and reason to persuade, in the realm of Christianity the only sure means of salvation is the pure Word of God and the proper use of the Sacraments. In fact, those are not only the proper tools for the Holy Spirit to convert, they also are where the Church in its mission truly exists.

The Cure For Racism: Two Trees

2009-03-06T09:35:00.003-06:00

This truly is "a one-of-a-kind book. At times the authors seem to go where angels fear to tread. Enlisting the Bible, the lessons of history, and sound science, Dr. Peter Kurowski and James L. Ramer take on racism." So reads the back cover of "The Cure For Racism: Two Trees". What are the two trees?

The first tree is the family tree of Adam and Eve. The second tree is the Cross of Christ! The first tree is important as it clearly proves that all human beings came from the same parents--Adam and Eve. We are all related. No room for racism here. But because of our fall into sin, the second tree of the cross of Christ was necessary to cure racism.

Not only is the book an energetic examination of the pervasive problem of racism in many of its evil forms, but more importantly it outlines in a clear and practical way the only real and lasting cure for this pernicious problem. Through the Biblical images of two powerful trees, the authors take a law-sharpened axe to racism and a grace-giving water hose to love. This "must read" book shows wherever the message of the "Two Trees" is embraced, racism retreats.

Widely endorsed, Dr. John Warwick Montgomery adds his thoughts with, "A strong Gospel-oriented argument showing that Holy Scripture opposes racism from cover to cover. Just the remedy for those who think that the Bible is mere compendium of fallible human opinion."

"The Cure for Racism: Two Trees" is only available at www.lawgospel.com for a price of $17.00 plus shipping and handling. However, if you order and insert the coupon number 777 when paying through PayPal, there will be no postage, shipping or handling costs. The total price will be $17.00. Since it includes 8 Bible studies at the end of the book, pastors may want to buy in bulk. Please contact lawgospel@lawgospel.com with inquiries about bulk ordering. Additional information on the book can also be found at www.lawgospel.com by clicking on the book.

Sermon B: 2 S Lent: Rom 5:8

2009-03-04T00:04:00.002-06:00

This being the 2nd Sunday in Lent, the readings are Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 5:1-11 and Mark 8:27-38. The text chosen to preach on is Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

While this text may be helpful to most Christians, for those uninitiated in Bible-speak, it appears that Christ's death is somehow for us because while we were still sinners, God demonstrates His love toward us. Some have taken that to mean that God so loved us that He wanted us to follow the example of Jesus Who died and suffered for others so that we can be saved by our suffering.

The question to ask is what does it mean that "Christ died for us"? The text itself actually provides four answers. The first is Law; the last three are Gospel. The first answer as to the necessity of Christ's death is verse 6 that Christ died for the "ungodly." That just doesn't mean that we are bad sinners; it also means that there was nothing we could do to get saved. Ungodly as we were and are, there was and is nothing we could do to invite, choose, decide, work, speak or think properly to climb up to heaven.

Christ HAD to die for us because there was no way that we could do anything to take care of our problem with God. But precisely what was that problem? Most people would say that sin is what separated us from God. No, verse 9 says that what really brought us under His Judgment was His wrath. Christ's death somehow saved us from God's wrath. How so?

The wrath is the result of the curse of the Law that in the day we sin, death is the result. God's wrath is the spiritual death that Eve and Adam realized when they fled from the Almighty in the Garden. Jesus' death substituted for our death in that He took upon Himself all the wrath of God that could have been leveled at us. The evidence that Jesus experienced that wrath is heard from His lips, "...why have You forsaken Me?"

Saved from His wrath means we are forgiven. But that needs to be understood with all the radical input that can be provided. Throughout the Bible, (eg. Psalm 32), being forgiven means that God is no longer holding the world accountable for sin. It was that accountability that really separated us from God. Now, according to 2 Corinthians 5, God is reconciled to you, as verse 11 reveals. No longer is the problem God--as in all other religions of Law. The problem is you and me who prefer not to be reconciled to God!

Which leads to another piece of the Gospel promises as found in verse 1 that we have "peace with God" through our Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His dying for us. This is not a peace promised between nations or quarreling family members. This is the peace between you and God. Recall the first words spoken by the angels to the shepherds and the first word of Jesus on the night of His resurrection--"Peace be to you."

Since every Christian is a teacher-in-training, we need not just to learn about the Bible but also to teach the reason God reveals for the death of His only-begotten Son. That death was not for an example for us to follow. No, it took care of every reason for separation from the holy Trinity as Jesus became sin in order that you might be the righteousness of God in Him. That's a Lenten theme worth sharing!

Sermon B: 1 S Lent: James 1:12

2009-02-25T10:22:00.003-06:00

Leaving the season of Epiphany we now enter into the season of Lent with the first Sunday in Lent and these three readings: Genesis 22:1-18; James 1:12-18 and Mark 1:9-15. The text for the sermon is James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

Every theological passage of the Bible can be interpreted in one of two ways--the right way and the wrong way. Theologically speaking, the passage can be interpreted from the point of view of Living Under The Law as a Theologian of Self-Glory or Living Under the Gospel as a Theologian of the Cross. James 1:12 is a classic example of how the English translation moves one to interpret the verse as a Theologian of Self-Glory.

The sermon could begin by asking the listeners to list what James 1:12 says is necessary for you to do to receive the crown of life. The answer of course is "nothing" but the text is so translated that most Christians will answer along the following lines: "We are to accomplish three things to receive the crown of life. They are 1) endure temptation; 2) be approved by God; 3) Love Him."

The Theologian of Self-Glory is motivated by the Old Adam to think this way because the Old Adam does not want to give any credit to God for our salvation. And the verse appears to reveal what 3 things a person must accomplish in order to receive the crown of life. That is why most Christians reading the Bible in this self-glory way worry about whether they are righteous enough to go to heaven. This thinking is a result of not being taught clearly how God thinks which is the primary goal of worship services, Bible studies, seminars and the like.

Here is where the Old Adam misleads us with this translation. The first mistake is that we interpret the verse to mean that if we endure we will be blessed. However, God's view is that enduring temptation is the blessing itself. For you to endure temptation is definitely the work of the Holy Spirit within you. The blessing is not a result of you doing the endurance but rather the Holy Spirit bringing forth a fruit of the Spirit of endurance.

The second problem is the notion that we need to be proved or approved by God on the basis of our accomplishing His will. No, being approved by God occurs because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which we trust for salvation because of the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit. The "proving" of us by God does not take place in light of our endurance but in light of our baptism.

The third error is to assume that the crown of life is promised to those who make the decision to love God as though the unbeliever could make such a decision. No, as Jesus says, "You did not choose me; I chose you." The reason we love Him is again because of the gift of the new heart and will (Psalm 51) which God graciously gives to those who do not deserve it.

To put it simply, the credit for receiving the crown of life is not ours to take but is due to the work of God alone as He blesses us with enduring temptation, approves us on the basis of the work of Jesus and creates love in us for indeed, "We love Him because He first loved us!"

James 1:12 is therefore a wonderful verse to demonstrate the tendency of our Old Adam to control our theological thinking as God gets short shrift for our salvation and we desire to take some, if not all the credit. Law and Gospel is the key to applying each theological verse in the Bible in light of God's way of thinking as theologians of the cross read the Scriptures.

L&G Responds to "23 Minutes in Hell"

2009-02-18T23:25:00.001-06:00

Law and Gospel Responds to “23 Minutes In Hell” by Bill Wiese
By Tom Baker (www.lawgospel.com)

The purpose of this series is to use the Biblical distinctions between Law and Gospel to analyze theologically the claims of various articles and books. This piece will first summarize our general response to the book “23 Minutes in Hell” by Bill Wiese and then provide specifics from a Law and Gospel perspective.

Generally speaking, the content of the book mirrors a view of hell based on the Theologian of Self-Glory rather than the Theologian of the Cross. Biblical verses are taken out of context and the proper distinctions between Law and Gospel are thoroughly confused. I would not give this book to an unbeliever because just the opposite might occur from what the author intended. Rather than a person deciding to believe in Jesus Christ after reading “23 Minutes in Hell” the unbeliever would be persuaded even more so to remain in his unbelief. The bottom line is that the view of hell and its purpose portrayed in “23 Minutes” is not that of the Bible.

Specifically speaking the following theological problems are found in the book with the appropriate page number noted.

Though the author insists that this was not a dream and that he actually was in hell (p. xv), there were no serious injuries sustained when he returned home if he truly had had the “razor-like claws” “plunged into his chest and ripped them outward.” (6) In fact, he states that “my flesh hung from my body like ribbons as I fell again to the cell floor.” Yet when he “awoke” in his house a few minutes later, there were no such wounds. His experience was therefore superior to that of Jesus who truly experienced a crucifixion as was evident from the wounds which the disciples saw.

The theme that he forgot about God is not one substantiated in the Bible in regard to those who suffer the pangs of hell. (9) It is true that God in His grace is absent from Hell; it is not true that those in Hell have no knowledge of God.

The most dangerous part of this book is the revelation of that which theologians speak of the hidden God. The Bible reveals only a tiny fraction of 1% of Who God is and what He does. However, in “23 Minutes” there are specific details never found in the Bible about hell that appear to be written by the devil himself (22, 25, 26, 30) for the purpose of seeing that unbelievers never want anything to do with the god of “23 Minutes.”

The idea that God needed someone to “experience” hell for real for the purpose of bringing back a message of warning (xvi) so that “whoever reads this story will be able to take the proper measures to steer clear of this place at all costs” (xviii) ridicules the power of the Word and a primary distinction between Law and Gospel. The author ridicules the power of God’s holy Word by concluding that his personal experience told to others is something that God needed to have because the Word of God is not powerful enough to convince people of the truth. That is a denial of 2 Timothy 3:16 by writing this book with the assumption that the Scripture is not sufficient. Remember the verse, “if even an angel…let him be accursed.”

Moreover, from a L&G point of view, the Law makes clear first of all that God demands perfect obedience which no one can do as we all fall short of the glory of God. Second, the Bible makes clear that no unbeliever has the ability to take any measures—let alone the proper ones—to “steer clear” of hell. (xviii) Instead, salvation is a gift which requires neither change of behavior nor obedience as a prerequisite. In fact, until one has been totally saved, it is impossible even to do one proper work.

The book therefore is a refutation of one of the primary rediscoveries of the Reformation that no unbeliever has any free choice in matters spiritual. What is needed is not information about hell to motivate one to become saved but rather a heart transplant and a new spirit (Psalm 51). As with most evangelical theology today, the book is the reverse coin of Roman Catholic thought that even unbelievers are responsible for making the right choices before they are saved. The author appears imprisoned in this pre-Reformation thinking by insisting that God had him experience hell so that unbelievers “could instead choose life with Him.” Does no one remember the clear passage, “You did not choose Me; I chose you.” (John 15:16) In other words, the author’s opinion on page 35 that he had to share with others his experience so that they would know “what they need to do to avoid that terrible place” is nothing else than the lies of the devil himself.

Though the author claims that the Bible verses on hell confirmed “everything I had experienced,” there are numerous items that find no Biblical data such as the description of the two enormous beasts (page 2) as well as other details too numerous to mention through page 38.

The bottom line is that the author is basing his knowledge about hell on some “experience” Our message needs to be based on the Bible and it alone because experience will always confuse us and draw us away from the Word of God. Why is that? Because our experience is based on commonsense such as when you are bad, God punishes you and when you are good, He rewards you. So do the good thing, accept Jesus as your Savior and go to heaven instead of hell. Such teaching is from the pit of hell as it denies salvation by grace through faith on account of Jesus Christ and not because of the threat of hell.

The greatest confusion of Law and Gospel is that apparently unknown to the author is the Biblical fact that the Law can never lead to salvation. It can only inform us that there is nothing we can do to be saved. However, in “23 Minutes” the fear of the Law in pointing out the reality of hell supposedly motivates someone to do the impossible; that is, decide to become a Christian. Once more we find ourselves back in pre-Reformation days with no knowledge that an unbeliever has no power at all to make such a choice.

Because the author bases his book on his experience, and not on trusting the Word of God, such experience will never be sure. Thus, it is no surprise at all that the author himself begins to doubt his experience and demand from God another experience to provide him with more evidence of his time in hell (56). The devil is only too happy to serve up as much experience as he loves to draw you away from the sure truth of God’s Word.

The very fact that the author has an entire chapter on “Confirmations” exposes the weakness of his own faith in the veracity of what he “experienced.” For the believer, no evidence is needed for true faith; for the unbeliever, no amount of evidence is ever sufficient. For what keeps the unbeliever from making a decision for Christ is not simply ignorance of hell but original sin and a will that is totally incapable of making such a decision. Page 78 and 79 demonstrate the pre-Reformation, pro-Roman Catholic theology of this theologian who apparently is totally ignorant of the discoveries of the Reformers that contradict much of what is on those pages.

There are many other theological errors such as the unbiblical view on page 112 of how all children will be saved and thus the implicit denial of the importance of infant baptism. In fact, there is hardly any mention of the sacraments as the proper means of grace to create and confirm faith which again militates against Reformation and biblical theology.

In regard to whether I believe that the author made all this up or had a dream, I have no problem in agreeing with the Scripture that in the last days the devil himself will be given miraculous signs and wonders so that even the elect might fall from the faith as they forsake the Word of God and cling instead to their experiences. I will give the author the benefit of agreeing that he had this experience through a dream instigated by Satan and permitted by God. The purpose? So that theologians of Law and Gospel might point out the unbiblical details and theology behind such a book as “23 Minutes” for the sake of the believer’s growth in the one true faith that is only found in the written Word of God and in the incarnate Word of God; namely, Jesus Christ.

Sermon A: Transfiguration: 2 Cor 3:13

2009-02-18T06:47:00.002-06:00

For the end of the Epiphany season, Transfiguration Sunday offers the following readings: 2 Kings 2:1-12 or Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6 and Mark 9:2-9. The sermon text is 2 Corinthians 3:13, "unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away."

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai after speaking with God, his face shone with the reflected glory of God. Exodus 34:33 reveals that after speaking with the people of Israel, Moses put a veil on his face. Why? The answer is not given so clearly as in the text for today from 2 Corinthians 3:13 so that the "children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away."

In other words, while his face shone, Moses had great authority and power as the people saw that he was speaking for God. But when that glory began to fade, Moses was concerned that the people would not be as attentive to him. In contrast to that fading glory of reflection, the Mount of Transfiguration reveals a radiant glory on Jesus that resulted in his clothes being so exceedingly white that "no launderer on earth can whiten them."

The Law and Gospel theme is that our words are authoritative only when we repeat what God has said. Jesus' words are auathoritative because He is God! That is why the Father commands, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Only when the Christian repeats the words from the Word of God--both Jesus and the Bible--are such words to be taken in faith.

The Gospel includes the theme that apart from faith in Jesus Christ, the veil remains over the heart of unbelievers and only is taken away "when one turns to the Lord." For even the Pharisees' reading of the Bible resulted in being blind to the Gospel as they thanked God that their personal works made them better than others who were sinners!

Also for Christians, apart from a teacher of the Word who can use the original Hebrew and Greek, a portion of the Bible remains veiled. Examine most evangelical theologians today who even know the Hebrew and Greek and you will find the denial of infant baptism, talk of a rapture and the use of decision theology. It is clear how the veil remains over the hearts of even believers.

The sermon can then demonstrate how even for those in the pews worshipping the holy Trinity that the old Adam often interprets and applies the Bible in such a way that what we think, do and say appears to make a difference in whether we go to heaven or hell. That is not only a denial of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ but also an addition to the work of the cross which in essence is a subtraction from the work of the cross.

We can thank the Lord that on the Day of Judgment, He will not decide whether we go to heaven or hell on the basis of our understanding with the head but rather on the basis of our perfect faith in the heart trusting the effective work of Jesus's death and resurrection. The task of the Christian in witnessing is to help the hearer think more like God by means of a correct understanding of the Word and a proper use of the holy sacraments.

Sermon B: 6 Epiphany: 2 Kings 5:12

2009-02-12T21:57:00.005-06:00

For the 6th Sunday after the Epiphany the three readings are 2 Kings 5:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:19-11:1 and Mark 1:40-45. The text chosen to preach for this coming Sunday is 2 Kings 5:12, "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?"

The story is a familiar one for teachers-in-training of the Old Testament. Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria finds out from a captured Israeli girl that he can be healed of his leprosy by a prophet in Samaria. But when the prophet Elisha tells him to wash in the Jordan river seven times, Naaman is furious that such dirty water should be helpful to him. After being persuaded by others to do what Elisha tells him to do, his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.

There are many today who reject the teaching that baptism is a holy sacrament from God by which we are indeed cleansed of our sins. Theologically speaking, the Pentecost water baptism delivers the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection so that we are no longer held accountable for the punishment of our sins; that is, we are forgiven.

How can water do such things? It is not the water but the Gospel promises of the Word of God connected to that event. Baptism is NOT the work of man to show forth one's faith; it is the work of God to assure us of our having now received the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection. Unlike marriage in which mutual promises are given between man and woman, in baptism God alone makes the promises and we as the baptized receive the fulfillment of those promises.

It reminds us of the dream Abraham had when a burning torch passed between the remains of sacrificed animals. Normally, both sides in a conflict would pass between the sacrifices indicating that if they did not keep their new covenant, that they deserved to happen to them what happened to these animals. But in God's covenant relationship with us, He alone passes between the animals. For the new covenant is not based on our work or promises but the promises of God through the work of Jesus Christ and the benefits conferred on us through the waters of baptism.

It doesn't really matter whether the water is clean or dirty. What matters is whether the Word of God is connected so that indeed the Bible is correct, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." In fact, it is no coincidence in regard to infant baptism that the Great Commission of Matthew 28 has baptism preceding teaching. A miracle indeed takes place when the waters of baptism transfer even an infant from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God on earth; that is, the holy Christian Church.

Sermon B: 6

2009-02-12T21:57:00.001-06:00

Sermon B: 5 S Epiphany: Isaiah 40:27

2009-02-02T22:31:00.002-06:00

Looking forward to the 5th Sunday after the Epiphany the three assigned readings are Isaiah 40:21-31; 1 Corinthians 9:16-27 and Mark 1:29-39. The passage chosen to preach about is Isaiah 40:27, "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God.?"

One goal of a sermon is to help the listeners to get into the shoes of those mentioned in the readings. From a theological view, that means to have the listener realize that the accusation of Law against those in the Bible can also be made against the listener today. One way to do that is to begin a sermon with a question that is later understood to connect with the sinners of the text.

For this particular text, one question which could work to do this is the following: "Can you remember the last time you prayed to God that He did not answer." If a Christian can remember such a prayer, he either does not understand prayer and certainly does not understand God. For God always answers every prayer and instantly. His answers are yes, no or wait.

In reality, they are always "yes." How so? Proper prayer is of two kinds. Either you are praying for something which God has already promised or you are requesting something for which there is no specific promise. In the latter case, one is to keep in mind, "But Thy will be done." Therefore, in all cases of our prayers to God, His answer is a firm "Yes" either in keeping HIs promise or accomplishing His will.

Jacob and Israel complained both that their way was hidden from the Lord and that their just claims in front of God's court were being passed over; that is, ignored. Such an attitude is similar to those who imagine that God does not answer our prayers. However, Isaiah reveals that God is way past commonsense understanding.

On the one hand, He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases their strength. God is totally paradoxical. Apart from eyes of faith, He never makes sense. The cross, of course, is the most ridiculous of events as though we would act toward our enemies the way God acts toward us.

The Gospel is found in verse 31 in that those who wait on the Lord is simply another way of speaking of "trust." Note that such trust does not merit anything. Instead, the verse continues that "the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Note well that God is the One Who drives all the verbs. That means that He is the subject and doer of any sentence that reveals how we are saved and how we continue to be saved. His work began with creation, continued through the redemption of the cross and resurrection and culminated with the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing us to faith and sustaining such a faith.

Sermon B: 4 S Epiphany: Mark 1:25

2009-01-26T22:56:00.002-06:00

It's the 4th Sunday after the Epiphany with the following three readings, "Deuteronomy 18:1-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 and Mark 1:21-28. The chosen text to preach about is Mark 1:25, "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!'"

About what did Jesus say to someone to keep quiet? Was it that they were mocking God or rejecting Jesus as the Son of God? No, instead, Jesus was urging quiet when He heard the words, "You are the Holy One of God." Does that make sense? There was another such occasion when Jesus told the disciples not to inform anyone that He was the Messiah.

In that situation Jesus did not want Him to be referred to as the Messiah because the title "Messiah" had been understood to refer to the destruction of the Romans and the renewal of the land of Israel. But Jesus came to provide a spiritual kingdom as He Himself said, "My kingdom is not of this world."

In the former situation, it is not a disciple or a believer confessing Jesus to be the Son of God. It is the unclean spirit (demon) who did not have the authority from God to speak the Word of God even if what he said was true. This has ramifications for us today.

First, it is ridiculous to imagine that a 12-year old boy could be considered to be ready to pastor a congregation because he is a good speaker. No, instead there is a call process and other considerations for someone to be a proper pastor. So also, regardless of the speaking ability of a woman, it is against God's will for a female to be a pastor.

In contrast to the word from the demon, the word from the Word, Jesus Himself, was caricatured as one Who taught with authority. That takes place because the true message carried by the Holy Spirit is so radical and against all our experience that it stands out truly as the Word of God which does not return empty.

Sermon B: 3 S Epiphany: Jonah 3:5

2009-01-26T22:39:00.002-06:00

For the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, the three assigned readings are Jonah 3:1-5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7:29-35 and Mark 1:14-20. The text for preaching is Jonah 3:5, "So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them."

What was the message that Jonah preached that was so persuasive. The only part that is revealed is, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" Perhaps it was the enthusiasm of the preacher. However, is it not true that Jonah was not pleased with his assignment? His rebellion resulted in his being swallowed by a fish.

Jonah is an excellent book to comfort the pastor and the layperson who wonders whether the words he speaks are effective. The reason why the town of Nineveh repented was that Jonah finally did speak the Word of God as it was given to him and the Holy Spirit did not permit the message to be returned empty.

The basis for a valid message is that it is a repeat of the Word of God. The basis for an effective message is that the Holy Spirit creates faith through the proper means of using the Word of God. While the specific message revealed is Law, the message would also have included the effect of God's promise to those who repent of their sins.

The final point is that Nineveh would not have been converted due to their appreciation of Jonah. His attitude would have been obvious that he did not care that much for these Gentiles. But the Word of God properly proclaimed trumps anything else that might lead to unrepentance. Because of a gracious attitude, the Holy Spirit moved the hearts of those Ninevites and brought them to faith. And Jonah's source for the Word is the same for us as for him!

Sermon B: 2S Epiphany: 1 Sam 3:18

2009-01-13T20:49:00.004-06:00

For the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany, the three proposed readings are 1 Samuel 3:1-20; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 and John 1:43-51. Chosen to preach on is 1 Samuel 3:18, "Then Samuel told Eli everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, 'It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.'"

The boy Samuel hears someone calling him three times and goes to the priest Eli who finally realizes it is the LORD calling the young boy. When Samuel replies, "Speak, for Your servant hears," the LORD reveals that He will judge the house of Eli forever due to the wickedness of his sons. It is not that they simply disregarded the form of worship which God had established but such disregard indicated their unbelief.

What is so interesting is Eli's response to hearing from Samuel the words of the LORD. "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him." This is said in spite of the revelation from the LORD that for Eli's own children there would be no atonement by sacrifice of offering forever.

How many of the members of the congregation may think that for them there is no atonement for their sins? This sermon is an opportunity to make the clear L&G distinction between sin and unbelief. While there has been an atonement for everyone's sin, there is no atonement for unbelief. In fact, it is the only unforgivable sin.

The sermon can also touch on the importance of worshipping according to God's directions rather than what we feel to be more user friendly and welcoming to visitors. While psychology and sociology may hint at steps to take to make people more comfortable in the pew, only the Word of God can produce a comfort in them in regard to their relationship with God.

We no longer need to hear the voice of God coming to us in the stillness of night for we have His sure and inerrant Word and Sacraments. It is the only means that He now comes to us. We listen to no inner voice or dream. For the Word of God is sufficient and in light of 2 Timothy 3:16 results in a complete child of God who by grace through faith believes in Jesus Christ.

Sermon B: Baptism of Lord: Mark 1:9

2009-01-06T23:35:00.002-06:00

For the Sunday of the Baptism of our Lord, the three readings provided to use are Genesis 1:1-5; Romans 6:1-11 and Mark 1:4-11. Chosen to preach on is Mark 1:9, "It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galille, and was baptized by John in the Jordan."

The task of the pastor is often seen as teacher to student. However, in light of the fact that the laity hold the highest office in the church; that is, the priesthood of believers, they also are to teach as Jesus instructed in revealing how to make disciples of all nations (baptizing and teaching). Therefore, each sermon is to address the listeners as the potential teachers to those in their community (whether children, relatives, coworkers, neighbors, etc.)

The task then of the pastor in regard to the baptism of the Lord is not just to provide content through insights but also to finish with comfort through promises. One way to accomplish this in regard to the Baptism of our Lord is to focus on three words in Mark 1:9. They are, "in the Jordan." What is the significance of that?

On the one hand, it is true that the Baptism of Jesus is a kind of installation event for Jesus to begin His ministry as the Messiah. However, such information is not sufficient to raise the sermon to a level of preaching the Gospel which needs the promises from a gracious God. How does one accomplish that with the three words, "in the Jordan."

Recall first of all what had just been happening in the Jordan prior to Jesus' appearance. People from all over had come for a baptism of repentance. This ceremonial cleansing in the Jordan resulted in the river becoming a sewer of sin. What Jesus did by going into the water is to take upon Himself the sin of humankind. Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God through Him.

The baptism of Jesus begins the ministry mission of our Lord to take upon Himself the punishment of the curse of the Law that we deserved. In forgiveness we are no longer held accountable for what we have done, thought or said against God's will. In this way, the baptism of Jesus becomes a teaching moment that the listener can use to teach others the true significance of His ministry.

Sermon B: 2 Christmas: 1 Kings 3:6

2008-12-27T00:32:00.003-06:00

For the 2nd Sunday after Christmas in Series B, the three assigned readings are 1 Kings 3:4-15; Ephesians 1:3-14 and Luke 2:40-52. Chosen to preach on is the 6th verse of chapter 3 of 1 Kings, "And Solomon said, 'You have shown great mercy to your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you..."

How else can this verse be interpreted except to conclude that because of David's walking in truth, righteousness and uprightness, God showed great mercy to him? The goal of the sermon, then, would be to motivate the congregation to walk in a similar way so that they also might receive the mercy of God. But does that even make sense?

God would not be showing mercy to David if he walked in truth and righteousness. Mercy is not giving what a person deserves. How is God merciful to one who is already doing what God expects? In fact, is not such an interpretation completely contrary to the theme of the Bible that God shows mercy to those who are sinners; not to those who are righteous?

Every other religion in the world would agree with such a legalistic interpretation because every man-made religion is based on our works as that which persuades God to save us. But Christianity is totally different. God declares the ungodly to be godly while they remain ungodly! But then how does that agree with Solomon's words about his father David?

First of all, after the Bathsheba incident, who would conclude that David had the reputation of walking in truth, righteousness and uprightness of heart? No David was a sinner who himself confessed that only by God being merciful to him by creating a clean heart and right spirit could David ever be considered as righteous.

Which is precisely the point. It is not that God was merciful to David because David was so righteous. No, rather David is regarded by God as righteous because God is merciful to him. To put it plainly, it is not David's uprightness of heart that moves God to be merciful to him; instead, it is God's mercy that declares David to be walking in truth, righteousness and uprightness. How doea that work?

What God does is first to create faith in those who were sinners deserving nothing but temporal and eternal punishment. Through that faith, believers now cling to the promises of the Messiah/Christ to take away the punishment of their sins. (See Psalm 23) God then accounts such faith as righteousness and uprightness because one's sins are forgiven and one is wearing the robe of Christ's righteousness.

The mercy of God consists in His not holding us accountable for our sins while the grace of God consists in His providing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (see Ephesians 1:3) In fact, verse 4 of Ephesians 1 reveals that God chose believers in Him before the foundation of the world and imputed to us that righteousness and uprightness of the Messiah that we should be holy and without blame in His sight.

So rather than interpreting these verses as every other religion living under the Law does, Christians recognize that their righteousness before God is only because He is merciful and gracious to us. We indeed, through faith in Jesus, live under the Gospel promises of being in the kingdom of God even while we are here on earth.

Sermon B: 1 S Christmas: Gal 4:4-5

2008-12-25T22:57:00.002-06:00

For the first Sunday after Christmas in Series B, the three assigned readings are Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Galatians 4:4-7 and Luke 2:22-40. The sermon text is Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."

While there are many ways to distinguish between Law and Gospel, my favorite is the two columns entitled, "Living Under the Law" and "Living Under the Gospel." The primary passage for this concept is Romans 6:14 which reads, "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." These distinctions are different than those between the proper three uses of Law (curb, mirror and rule) and the Gospel.

Instead, "living under the Law" interprets one's progress in life on the basis of one's works. While there is some truth in that in regard to the temporal realm, it is not at all true in regard to the spiritual realm where one needs to get right with God. To live under the Law is to live with the assumption that your works make a difference as to whether you go to heaven or hell.

Another way of distinguishing these two views of reality is to speak of living under the law as salvation by works which we merit through effort while living under the Gospel is salvation by grace which we inherit through faith. Being "born under the Law" therefore means that the curse of the Law faces every human being which says, "In the day that you sin, death is the result."

Jesus took upon Himself that curse to redeem those of us who were already under the curse. What He did on the cross was to complete the work of forgiving our sins which means that we are no longer held accountable for sins of thought, word and deed. Jesus took that punishment upon Himself with the words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

The result according to the Galatians reading is that we are no longer a slave to the curse of the Law but a son of God through Christ. That occured not through our works as we gain entrance to the family of God but by grace through faith as we enter into the family of God by adoption.

Sermon A: 4 Advent: Rom 16:25

2008-12-17T00:37:00.002-06:00

The 4th Sunday in Advent provides the following three readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Romans 16:25-27 and Luke 1:26-38. The verse chosen as the sermon text is Romans 16:25, "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ..."

There are three primary comings of Christ the Church celebrates during the Advent season. The first, of course, is His coming in the Bethlehem stable and the last is His coming on the Day of Judgment. But the second coming refers to His coming into the hearts of human beings on the day of their conversion. Most Christians would agree that such an act of conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit who gets all the credit.

However, not so unanimous in their opinion is how one remains in the faith. It is not unheard of that much responsibility is given to the saved individual to make sure that he remains in the faith. But God is Creator; we are creature. In heaven all Christians will answer with once voice as to who gets all the credit for our salvation. Answer: The Holy Trinity!

Thus, even our life of sanctification is credited to God and Him alone. That is why the text makes it clear that God establishes you according to both the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ. Such preaching is a proclamation of the Word that goes way beyond transmitting biblical information. For it is not information but a transformation that saves.

Such salvation, as far as we humans known, comes through the Gospel, not the Law, and the preaching of Jesus Christ. And the Gospel is not a recounting of the history as revealed in the Bible. That is, one can believe that Jesus was born, died and rose from the dead and still go to hell. For the devils and the unbelieving Pharisees believed that.

What saves is the Gospel promises connected to the historial events of His birth, crucifixion and resurrection. Those promises always contain a "for you" element that the Holy Spirit takes not only to create faith but also to sustain such faith. Because sanctification involves proper motivation, one cannot "preach" sanctification in the sense of giving information to the hearer as to how to become more sanctified.

Rather, becoming more sanctified; that is, becoming established in the faith, takes place not by speaking of sanctification but by proclaiming the Gospel benefits of the passion of Jesus Christ which began with His birth. Once the Gospel promises are heard and believed, the works of sanctification develop spontaneously without effort on our part for they are indeed fruit of the Holy Spirit.

What better New Year's resolution can a congregation make than to insure the establishment of faith in its midst by a proper liturgy and preaching that provides all the Gospel and sacraments necessary for the work of the Holy Spirit to prevail. Take away the pure Word and proper sacraments, and you have taken away the reason for the season.

Sermon B: 3 Advent: Is 61:10

2008-12-09T01:28:00.003-06:00

For the 3rd Sunday in Advent in Series B of the 3-year lectionary the 3 readings are Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 and John 1:6-8, 19-28. Chosen as the sermon passage is Isaiah 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

If you were to ask most Christians what is the benefit we receive because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ they would certainly answer with the "forgiveness of sins." Yet that is only 1/2 of the primary benefit Jesus won for you. For there are two obstacles to our relationship with Almighty God since the fall of human beings into sin.

The first is the sins we commit. For that the forgiveness of sins is valid and proper. But what do you do with an individual who is aware of the many good works he is unable to perform as God demands? While the first reason for separation from God can be referred to as sins of commission, the second reason is referred to as sins of omission.

The faithful pastor, along with any Christian, will first listen to the attitude of the individual to arrive at a decision whether the broken relationship is due to an active sin of thought, word or deed or the inability to do a good work. For the former problem, the Good News is the forgiveness of sins. But for the latter problem, the Good News is Isaiah's words of being clothed with the robe of righteousness.

That robe was given during the glorious exchange in baptism when we gave to Jesus our sins and He gave to us His righteousness. Not His intrinsic righteousness of being divine but those many good works He did while on earth. Those are transferred to us who, of course, do not deserve that robe anymore than we deserved the forgiveness of sins.

Law and Gospel distinctions first diagnose the condition of which kind of sin the person worries about. Then comes the treatment of the proper antidote of either forgivness for sins of commission or the robe of righteousness for sins of omission. In this way, the second 1/2 of the works of Jesus Christ are made available so that from God's point of view, the believer is regarded not just as 100% sinner but also as 100% saint by grace, through faith on account of Jesus Christ!

Sermon B: 2 Advent: Isaiah 40:2

2008-12-02T08:05:00.002-06:00

The second Sunday in Advent for Series B has the following three readings: Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14 and Mark 1:1-8. The chosen text is Isaiah 40:2, "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned..."

The word for this week is "pardoned." While it is a synonym for "forgiven" it provides a better insight into God's good news than what most Christians understand by just the word "forgiven." What is of first interest is that God is not speaking directly to His people but through the prophet Isaiah. God is a God of means and remains so today in speaking through pastors and teachers who are faithful in repeating back to the people of God what God has revealed in His holy Word.

How many funerals are there in which the only "good news" is a eulogy spoken by one or more of the relatives or friends. It may be that the person in the coffin was a nice man or woman but so often eulogies only work to bring comfort if people did not know the individual intimately. For an intimate knowledge of any person means you realize that no matter how nice, he or she still was a sinner deserving nothing but temporal and eternal punishment.

The GOOD NEWS as distinct from the eulogized good news is that God really has pardoned His people. But note well that being pardoned does not mean that you are not guilty. President Bush pardoned a farmer for killing bald eagles because he had poisoned certain animals that the bald eagles ate. While it was not his intention to kill the birds, he still broke the law and the pardon did not remove his guilt. What it removed was his punishment!

So also with the true God. The pardon or forgiveness He provides at no cost is not a removal of our sinful nature nor our guilt but a "get out of jail free" card. How can a just God do that? Because He took it upon Himself to pay the price of the curse of the Law at the cross with the words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Answer? "Because you have on your shoulders the sins of the whole world."

People are prepared for this pardon not by doing good works, thoughts or words but by confessing that they are sinners in need of a Savior. That is the work of the John the Baptists in our day so that the Good News of the Messiah is received by grace, through faith on account of Jesus Christ. Believers in Christ are ungodly people whom God has pardoned (forgiven) for their sins while they remain ungodly and guilty for such sins. No other religion in the world comes even close to that Good News as revealed in the Christian faith.

Sermon B: 1 Advent: 1 Cor 1:8

2008-11-29T10:07:00.003-06:00

We now begin the new church year, Series B with the three assigned readings from Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 and Mark 11:1-10 or Mark 13:24-37. Chosen to preach on is 1 Corinthians 1:8, "who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ask this question to any Christian, "Are you righteous and blameless enough to go to heaven?" The normal answer will be "no" which demonstrates the lack of spiritual understanding even among Christians. For even Christians get caught up defining words the way the world does rather than the way God does. Righteous means being very good in your works and blameless means no mistakes at all, according to the world.

However, the essence of the Christian message is that God takes ungodly people and declares them to be godly while they remain ungodly. Another way of saying that is the Christian is both 100% saint and 100% sinner at the same time. For under the Law we fail in all our works and thus are truly sinners. But under the Gospel we are forgiven all our sins and are dressed in the robe of righteousness.

This is not understood apart from faith. Thus, the purpose of every sermon is to help the listener begin to interpret reality the way God does. For the Bible is nothing other than a book explaining how God thinks which can never be figured out with natural revelation. Law and Gospel distinctions are necessary for proper understanding of God's view of reality.

The essence of this message is that God's understanding of being righteous and blameless is different for Adam and Eve prior to the Fall into sin and for Adam and Eve and you and me after the Fall into sin. How so? Prior to the Fall, God regarded Adam and Eve to be righteous and blameless in regard to His will because they actually were. They never sinned and obeyed God perfectly.

But that image of God was lost in the Fall. The Bible is clear that for fallen people there are two paths of existence. The one is the broad path that leads to destruction and the other is the narrow path that leads to life. While there are many analogies in the Bible in regard to these two ways (eg., self-righteousness and Christ righteousness) the essence of the two ways is the difference between unbelievers and believers.

Unbelievers follow the broad path by rejecting the grace of God choosing thereby to pay for their own sins with hell as their end. Believers by the power of the Holy Spirit are on the narrow path receiving the benefits of the forgiveness of sins and the robe of Christ's righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Because of that gift of salvation, God recognizes believers as righteous and blameless in His sight for He now sees them through the cross of Christ.

From God's point of view then, those before the Fall are regarded as sinless differently than those after the Fall. Adam and Eve before the Fall were declared sinless, righteous and blameless because they actually lived that kind of life. Those after the Fall will not live that kind of life until after the Day of Judgment. But the verse is clear. Prior to that Day you need to be righteous and blameless in God's sight.

What is the answer to how sinners are regarded by God as righteous and blameless? While they cannot live a life of sinless good works they do live a life by the power of the Holy Spirit of repentance! Repentance is defined by Luke 15 as being carried back home by God. The act of repentance is done by God. The results of that action on His part in regard to us results in a life of contrition and faith.

The bottom line is this. Prior to the Fall, human beings were righteous and blameless because their works were. After the Fall, human beings are regarded by God as righteous and blameless because of repentance. The life of the Christian is one of repentance. We give all our sins to God which He exchanges for the righteous robe of Christ's obedience and the gift of the forgiveness of sins. So that prior to the Day of Judgment, sinful human believers are regarded by God as righteous and blameless by grace, through faith, on account of Jesus Christ!

Sermon A: Last Sunday: Mt 25:41

2008-11-18T22:27:00.002-06:00

It is the last Sunday of the Church year. The listed readings are Ezekiel 34:1-16, 20-24; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 and Matthew 25:31-46. Selected to preach on is verse 41 of Matthew 25, "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"

And what was the apparent reason for the goats being cursed? Because they did not give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty among others? Who in their life has not given something to eat and drink to those in need of it? Parents do so for their children; spouses for one another and the list goes on. And how do we understand the apparent conclusion that salvation for the sheep is because of their works?

How does one preach this text without giving the impression that works are the basis for salvation? Perhaps the following analogy might be helpful. School kids are walking home from school. Two of them leave the group as they walk up a porch, take out keys, open the door and go in. One of the other students says, "I didn't know that they were the children of those parents."

Now what made them "children of those parents"? Was it that they had keys? Was it that they could walk into the house? No, it was because they had been either born or adopted into the family. The keys and ability to walk into the house were only evidence of their already having been children of those parents through no contribution of their own.

So also, when Jesus points out the "works" of the sheep, in reality those "works" are evidence that the sheep were members of the family by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, they are not their own "works" at all but "fruit of the Holy Spirit." The difference between the two (works and fruit) is motivation. Good works are motivated through self-centered motivation while fruit of the Holy Spirit are motivated by love of Christ. Goats (unbelievers) can never do fruit because they reject the Spirit.

The real difference between the sheep and goats is that the sheep are believers and the goats are unbelievers. The sheep have the evidence of being members of the family because as Romans 11 reveals, they were grafted on to the vine. As Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Without Me, you can do nothing."

While the Law of the sermon would demonstrate our inability to do the works perfectly that are necessary, the Gospel is the good news that God's judgment of us occurs as we have been forgiven all our sins and are wearing the robe of Christ's righteousness. We are not assured of our salvation because we see the evidence of spiritual fruit as God is able to do but because we have been baptized (adopted) into the family of God through Word and Sacrament.

Sermon A: 27 Pent: Mt 25:25

2008-11-11T20:09:00.002-06:00

For the second last Sunday in the Church year, the three assigned readings are Zephaniah 1:7-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and Matthew 25:14-30. The text chosen to preach on is Matthew 25, verse 25, "And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground."

As we have noted elsewhere, a parable is not talking about what it is talking about. So if the parable is talking about shepherds and sheep, it's not about sheepherding; if it talks about money, it's not about money. While the parable of the talents appears to be about our use of money and other gifts given to us by God, we therefore conclude that cannot be the application.

The other important L&G principle is that when God criticizes someone, it is not only because of sin but specifically because of unbelief. And conversely, when God praises someone it is specifically because of faith. Thus, we need to discover the promise which the faithful servants believe and which the unfaithful servant does not believe.

The 19th chapter of Luke has a similar parable which helps to fill in some of the blanks in this parable. But the bottom line is that the promise found in this parable is that the lord will return. Therefore, the parables in this chapter deal with the End Times and specifically the Day of Judgment.

The disciples are under the impression that Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem to bring in the new kingdom of God. Little are they aware of the predictions from the Old Testament that Jesus is going to die, rise from the dead and then ascend into heaven not to return until He is ready.

The parable, therefore, is whether we believe that Jesus will return as He has promised. Those who regard God as a cruel Judge demanding the harvest from which He has not sown seed are those who do not have proper faith in the God of mercy and grace. Therefore, they get an eternity with the god in which they trust--the devil himself.

It is not that the servants have been profitable in what they did (The "done" of verse 21 and 23 is not in the original Greek). Rather, they have been faithful (same verses) in believing the promise that He will return and in His own good time. The gain in trading refers to the fruit of the Holy Spirit that those of faith spontaneously exhibit and which God looks for on the Day of Judgment as the evidence that the believer has truly been grafted on to the vine. (See next parable)

Sermon A: 26 Pent: Mt 25:8

2008-11-03T20:33:00.002-06:00

As we near the end of the Church year, the lessons assigned for the 26th Sunday after Pentecost speak of the Day of Judgment: Amos 5:18-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Matthew 25:1-13. Preaching this week will be on Matthew 25:8, "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'"

The normal interpretation of this parable is that the key ingredient in getting into the wedding banquet is to have sufficient oil. Such an opinion has led to all kinds of odd spiritual synonyms for the oil such as our works or our faith. The point is then made that you had better not fall asleep as the disciples did in the Garden of Gethsemane by seeing to it that your obedience to God's command does not fall short or else you will not get into the banquet.

It does not take a genius in theology to realize that such interpretations and applications are Law. The parable is then regarded as something like Aesop's fables in which there is a lesson to be learned and practiced in one's life. The Bible is then seen as a book of principles of life with parables providing some of the best principles.

However, falling asleep cannot be the problem because even the wise virgins fell asleep. Yes, the foolish had not brought sufficient oil but what possibly could the oil represent on the part of our needing to bring something in preparation for the Day of Judgment?

Parables are about the way God works in the kingdom of God on earth; namely, the holy, Christian Church. This parable is not a directive as to what we are to do, say or think so we have enough oil. The lack of oil is simply a symptom of the far greater problem that the foolish virgins had.

A L&G principle is that whenever God criticizes someone, the criticism is not just directed toward the sin but the unbelief behind that sin. And conversely, whenever God praises someone, the praise is not just directed toward the good work but the faith behind that fruit of the Holy Spirit. Since God is criticizing five of the virgins there must be something lacking in their faith that is at fault.

In fact, it is not something that is lacking; it is something that is non-existent! They are not called wise and foolish in the Bible comparing smart people to dumb people or intelligent people to ignorant people or anything like that. The Bible is clear. Wisdom is a synonym for those who have faith; foolish (moron in the Greek) is a synonym for unbelievers.

It is not that the oil was insufficent. It only was a symptom of the larger problem in that the foolish virgins did not believe that the groom would be so late. They had a view of him that did not necessitate additional oil because he would come within the time frame that they regarded as appropriate. The wise, on the other hand, knew that the bridegroom was not one who could be put into a box. Therefore, they were ready for whatever decision he made.

The parable is simply differentiating that those who are ready for the return of the bridegroom are those of faith while those who are not ready are those of unbelief. There is no preparation one can make for that return on one's own. Instead, the children of God are already prepared for the return of the Savior because faith has been planted in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

To make it clear: the parable is not advising any of us as to how to prepare for the coming of the Judge as though we can have enough oil--whatever that is--to be counted worthy to enter the banquet. Instead, God is revealing to us that those who are ready for Judgment Day are believers while unbelievers are not ready. From God's point of view that is clear by the way each group has or does not have the faith to trust the groom rather than attempt to put him in a box that sounds reasonable and acceptable.

Sermon A: All Saints: Rev 7:10

2008-10-30T23:46:00.004-05:00

All Saints Day to be held on November 2, 2008 directs us to the following three readings: Revelation 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1-3 and Matthew 5:1-12. Chosen to preach on is Revelation 7:10, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

Two problems arise in this verse. Does not salvation belong to people who are sinners? Salvation does not belong to God, does it? And the second problem is that the verse appears to make a distinction between God who sits on the throne and the Lamb who, of course, is Jesus Christ. How do we resolve these apparent problems.

When a child is adopted as an infant, the good works that he begins to do is to eat the food he is given, sleep in the bed he is provided and wear the clothes in which he is dressed. Now while it is true that the clothes now belong to the infant, it is also true to state that they belong to the parents who bought and paid for them.

In the same way, salvation belonging to God is understood that God and God alone is the source, the foundation the essence of our salvation. Salvation is from God Who alone won it for us. And He did so not with gold or silver but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. This understanding that our salvation has its source in God and Him alone decimates any kind of decision theology or any contribution of works on our part toward our salvation. As newborn infants in the Church, we thank and praise Him Who alone gets all the credit for saving us.

The second problem is that the verse makes it look like God is on the throne and then there is this other Lamb who may or may not be God. Here we look to the Reformation principle of Scripture interprets Scripture. One only has to return to chapter 5 of this same book of Revelation. In a number of verses there is no distinction between the worship and honor given to the Lamb and to the One on the throne.

In point of fact, verse 13 reveals that all creatures give blessing and honor and glory and power not only to Him who sits on the throne but also to the Lamb! Are we not reminded of Daniel 7 when the One Who sits on the throne--the Ancient of Days--sends the son of Man to save the world? Chapter 5 of Revelation is the return of that son of Man Who died so that we will never really die and Who lives so that we live eternally. And chapter 7 is a revelation of all the benefits that those saints who have gone on before us now enjoy in the company of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Sermon A: Reformation Rom 3:19-28

2008-10-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

In many congregations this Sunday the festival of the Reformation will be celebrated. The assigned readings are Revelation 14:6-7; Romans 3:19-28 and John 8:31-36. Normally the sermon text is one or two verses in length, but for this occasion the text will be Romans 3:19-28. Because of the length we will not type it out here but open your Bible to the passage to follow along.

Why is this passage so important? It not only is the crux of the Bible but it is also practical in an evangelism sense. How so? What suggestions do we have for Christians to testify of the hope that they have in Christ? Perhaps we encourage them to use one of the creeds which certainly provides a outline of our faith. Or one could use a confession of the Church; eg., Augsburg or the Small Catechism, to share what Christians believe.

However, if one is looking for a short portion of the Scripture that gets to the heart of the matter of the Christian faith, Romans 3:19-28 is marvelous. First of all, it works with the historic facts of the Bible in regard to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Second, it offers an understanding of Law and Gospel that is unique, radical and totally different than that found in any other religion of the entire world.

The two religions of the world are Christianity and everything else. And everything else uses the Law as a friend who guides you into a right relationship with a god through proper works, thoughts, words, sacrifices, offerings and so forth. But the Christian faith points forth to an understanding of God's use of the Law that not only hinders your salvation but clearly reveals the impossibility of your doing, saying or thinking anything in order to be saved.

And the Gospel found in this passage is not some good news report in light of your increasing holy works, words and thoughts. Instead, the Gospel is that your entire salvation was accomplished by God without any help or contribution from you. You are totally saved by grace through faith on account of the work of Jesus Christ. It is a passage that destroys the hearer's hope of salvation because of his holiness or his change in behavior or whatever else all the other religions worship.

This righteousness of God is not something to which we need to attain but is rather what we receive as a gift when we are the enemies of God. There is no experience one has that can be compared to the radical nature of God's gift to us the unworthy. For God first declares us redeemed and then He begins the work of making us holy. In fact, no holy work can even be done until one is totally saved.

Totally saved? Who is totally saved? Certainly not those who imagine that being saved is like becoming perfect. But from God's viewpoint, being saved is becoming God's child which occurs through adoption for sure in the waters of baptism. And what does a child to to get adopted? Nothing. What did you do to get saved? Nothing. In fact, if you ever add something to your being saved, you have subtracted from the cross of Christ.

As an aside, along with Romans 3:19-28 as being a brilliant summary of the essence of the Christian faith, another tool one can use in witnessing is a hymn. And what is the assigned hymn for Reformation Sunday besides "A Might Fortress Is Our God?" It is "Salvation Unto Us Has Come." In that hymn you also have a wonderful summary of the unique, radical and uncommonsensical theology of that which is the Christian faith.