LESSON: ROMANS 10:14-17

“He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16

Christ enters our hearts and takes His stand there through the office of the ministry. Since God has given orders that His Word should be preached, we should never in any manner despise the mortal man in whose mouth that Word has been placed, so that we do not form the opinion that each individual must wait for a special sermon from heaven which God Himself preaches to him verbally.

Therefore, if God grants faith to anyone, He employs the regular means which He has appointed for this purpose. He accomplishes His end through the preaching of men, through an external, human word.

He enters through a closed door when He enters a human heart by means of the Word without smashing or disturbing anything. When God’s Word comes, it does not injure the conscience, disturb the understanding of the heart, or upset the external senses as those false teachers do who smash all doors and windows, break in like thieves and leave nothing whole and undisturbed, and bring it to pass that the whole of life, conscience, understanding, and the senses become completely unhinged and lose all rhyme or reason. Christ does not do this.

God’s Word proclaimed by men converts sinners. There are two factors involved: preaching and faith. His coming to us is the preaching or proclamation. His standing in our hearts is faith. It is not enough for Him to stand simply before our eyes and ears; He must stand in our midst, in our hearts, with His gift of peace.

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PRAYER: Heavenly Father, awaken and increase in us a true reverence for Your saving Word proclaimed to us by the ministers of Your Word, so that, in this manner, Christ our Savior may take His stand in our hearts with His message of peace and joy as a result of His glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

LESSON: JOHN 20:19-31

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19

As Christians, we must apply the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to ourselves individually. It is not enough simply to believe that He rose from the dead, for such a faith in itself will not mean peace and joy for us, nor power and might. You must also believe that He rose for your sake and for your benefit. He was not raised into glory for His own sake alone but that He might help you and all who believe in Him and that through His resurrection He might overcome sin, death, and hell.

This is also indicated by the way in which Christ enters through the locked doors and steps forth and stands in the midst of His disciples. The manner in which He stood here in the midst of the disciples resembles that manner in which He also stands in our hearts. In this way, He is also in our midst, just as He was standing there among the disciples.

When He stands in our hearts in this manner, we hear His loving voice speaking to our conscience, “Be at your ease: there is no need at all for any anxiety. Your sins are forgiven you and removed from you and nothing can henceforth harm you.”

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PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, in Your great love for us, You gave Your Son to suffer and die for our sins. By His glorious resurrection from the dead, You have demonstrated that the sacrifice of Your Son has been accepted and that now all is well with us in time and eternity, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

LESSON: MATTHEW 27:1-14

In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

You must learn to look right through the sufferings of Christ and see His friendly heart, how it is filled with love for you, and how it moved Him to assume the heavy load which your conscience and sins laid on Him. In this way, your heart will be warmed towards Him, and your confidence and faith will be strengthened. Thereupon you should mount even higher through Christ’s heart to God’s heart and see that Christ would never have manifested His love for you if God in His eternal love had not willed it. Christ rendered obedience to God’s love in His love for you.

In this way, you will discover the fatherly heart of God in its wonderful goodness, and, as Christ Himself declares, you will be drawn to the Father through Him. Then you will also understand Christ’s saying that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

To come to a true knowledge of God, we must not try to find Him simply in His power of wisdom, which can be bewildering, but we must grasp Him in His goodness and love. In this respect, faith and confidence have something to cling to, and man becomes truly born anew in God.

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PRAYER: Make it ever more clear and certain for us, heavenly Father, that in all that Christ our Savior bore and suffered for us sinners, love was operating and that in this manifestation of love You have clearly revealed our inner and true nature to us, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:69-75

Jesus our Lord … was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25

You cast your sins from yourself on to Christ when you firmly believe that His wounds and sufferings are your sins, that He bore them and paid for them as Isaiah declared: “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Peter also says: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,” that is, the cross (1 Peter 2:24), and St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, AV).

On this and similar passages you must stake everything in full reliance, and the more so if your conscience is giving you serious trouble. If you do not do this but presume to quieten your conscience by way of your own penitence and satisfaction, you will never find peace and end up in despair. It does not matter how much penitence and satisfaction we have to offer; our sins keep on piling up and gaining the upper hand. But when we see them borne by Christ and conquered by His glorious resurrection from the dead and we have boldness of faith, our sins are dead and blotted out. For they could not remain on Christ. They have been swallowed up by His resurrection. Now you see no wounds, no pains in Him, that is, no signs of sin.

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PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, Lord Jesus, for the complete victory over sin which You gained for us when You bore our sins on the cross and destroyed them in Your glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.

LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 4:13-15

Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” John 20:17

In these words of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, as reported in John’s Gospel, Jesus sets forth a very clear explanation of the benefit and profit of His death and resurrection. “Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

This is one of the great consolatory passages of the Gospel at which we can knock with all boldness and confidence. It is as though Christ is saying here, “Go, Mary, and tell my disciples, those deserters, who really merited punishment and eternal damnation, that my resurrection will redound to their great advantage. Through my resurrection I have brought it about that my Father is your Father and my God your God.”

A few brief words! But they contain a very important truth, namely, that we have a trust and confidence in God which is the equal of that which Christ, the very Son of God, Himself has.

Who can grasp such boundless joy? Who can explain how a poor, miserable sinner can call God his Father and God, even as Christ Himself does?

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PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, Your ways in Jesus Christ our Lord are beyond all our powers of understanding and telling. Grant us the faith to cling with all our hearts to the benefits and profits of our Lord’s resurrection, that with Him You are our Father and our God in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

LESSON: ROMANS 8:14-17

[Let your adorning] … be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4

The title that we are Christ’s brethren is so exalted that no human heart can really comprehend it. Unless the Holy Spirit confers this grace, no one can say, “Christ is my brother.” No man’s reason would be bold enough to make such a claim, even though it may occasionally be made with the tongue, as in the case of our modern charismatics. Nor is it enough just to make such claims—this must be a matter of the heart—otherwise it is pure hypocrisy.

If you really know this in your heart, it will become something so great and important for you, that you will keep quiet about it rather than chatter about it to all and sundry. To be sure, face to face with the magnitude of this blessing, you may even have your doubts and uncertainties whether it is really true or not. Those who are always crying, “Christ is my brother, Christ is my brother!” are not necessarily Christ’s true brethren.

With a true Christian it is very different. For a true Christian it is a wonderful thing to hear that he is Christ’s brother. The flesh is dismayed at this, and not so very much will be said and openly acknowledged about it all.

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PRAYER: Give us at all times a quiet, confident faith, O Lord, not given to empty and foolish boasting, but fully trusting in your assurance that we are Your brethren in and through Your glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

LESSON: REVELATION 1:4-8

He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Hebrews 2:11

The fact that Christ receives such abandoned wretches as you and me and calls us brethren is a fact full of all consolation for us. If Christ is our brother, I would like to know what we still lack?

The situation in which we find ourselves is very much like that which exists among earthly brothers. Earthly brothers have common possessions, as well as one father and one inheritance, otherwise they would not be brothers.

In Christ, we also share common possessions and have one Father and one inheritance. But this inheritance never becomes less by being shared like an earthly inheritance. It becomes even greater and greater. For it is a spiritual inheritance.

The earthly inheritance is dissipated when it is divided into many parts, but in the spiritual inheritance which is ours in Christ, he who has a part of it has all of it.

What is this inheritance which makes us Christ’s brothers? In His hands are all times of life and death, sin and grace, and all that is in heaven and on earth, eternal truth, might, wisdom, and righteousness. He rules and reigns over everything—hunger, thirst, good fortune, misfortune, over everything that is conceivable, whether it be in heaven or on earth, not only spiritual matters, but also earthly matters.

In short, He has all things in His hands, whether they are eternal or temporal. My faith in Christ, then, full covers all my needs.

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PRAYER: Keep us ever mindful, O Lord, of all that we have for time and eternity in our relationships with You, the beginning and ending of all our faith and hope, as Your privileged brethren, for Your love’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

LESSON: MARK 16:1-8

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:10

Jesus Himself pointed out the benefit of His suffering, death, and resurrection when He said to the women, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

This is the first word that they heard from Jesus after His resurrection from the dead. He hereby confirms all His former teachings, as well as the blessings He had already conferred on them. They are reminded here that they will now indeed be the recipients of all these blessings. Not only this but He also intimates that the Christians who believe His words are His “brethren” even though they do not see like the apostles did.

He does not wait until we beg or beseech Him that we may become His brethren. All ideas of meritorious services are completely ruled out here.

What did the apostles merit? Peter denied the Lord three times; the other disciples all fled from Him; they stayed with Him like a hare stays with its young. He should have called them deserters, traitors, and scoundrels rather than brethren. So, this word was sent to them through these women by sheer mercy and grace.

The apostles could not help feeling this. We feel it, too, when we are held fast in sins, temptations, and damnation.

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PRAYER: We thank and praise you, dear Lord Jesus, for the wonderful grace and mercy which You have so richly bestowed upon us unworthy sinners in demonstrating by Your resurrection that we are Your brethren, with all the privileges of brethren. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

LESSON: 1 JOHN 5:6-12

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. Ephesians 1:3, 5-8

When we discover what the Gospel of God’s free and unmerited love really is, we see how foolish it is to teach that people should bear suffering and death patiently to atone for their sins and to obtain grace. Some claim that if one bears all this patiently and willingly, all one’s sins will be forgiven accordingly. These people are seducers, because they conceal Christ with His death upon which our comfort depends. They induce people to rely on their own suffering and death.

This is the very worst thing that can befall anyone in the end, because it is a way that leads straight into hell. You must learn to say, “What is my death and patience? Nothing at all! I will have nothing at all to do with it and will close my ears to it as far as any consolation is concerned. Christ’s suffering and death is my one consolation. On this I place my reliance and trust that through it my sins are forgiven. I will gladly suffer death for my God’s praise and honor freely, gratuitously, and in my neighbor’s service, but place no reliance on it for myself.”

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AE 76:351-52

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thanks and praise be to You for the completeness of Your work of salvation for us and for making this known to us in Your holy Gospel for our eternal comfort and consolation. Amen.

LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14, 15

Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18

Thorns pricked the sacred head of Christ, but you have actually deserved the pricks of more than a hundred thousand thorns. To be sure, you have deserved to be pricked by such thorns in all eternity, and much worse than He was pricked. Christ had to suffer the agony of having His hands and feet pierced with nails; you have deserved to suffer from much worse nails in eternity.

This is what will indeed befall those who disregard Christ’ suffering on their behalf. In this grim reflection, Christ does not lie or scold; what He indicates must surely follow. St. Bernard says, “I thought I was secure and knew nothing of the eternal sentence passed upon me in heaven until I saw that the only-begotten Son of God had mercy on me, stepped forth, and submitted to the sentence of condemnation on my behalf. If there is such seriousness here, it is not for me to play around any longer and to be secure.”

This also explains Christ’s words to the women of Jerusalem: “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.… If they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:28, 31). Jesus means to say: “From my sufferings, learn what you have deserved and what will befall you.”

Christ’s sufferings should always be pondered with the greatest of seriousness on our part. They are written for our warning to teach us the awful and horrible nature of sin.

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PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, let the awful sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ be for us a continual reminder of the horrible nature of all sin in your sight. Move us at all times to a serious consideration of our Savior’s passion and death on our behalf. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 15:1-6

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Not the least part of love or self-surrender is for me to be able to give away my self-conceit or arrogance. I can no doubt give my neighbor temporal good and bodily service with my painstaking toil. I can also serve him with instruction and intercession, for example, by visiting him and consoling him when he is sick or sad. I can feed him when he is hungry, free him from imprisonment, and such like. But the greatest of all the services I can render my neighbor is bearing his weakness.

We will always fall short of the mark here. We will never attain to the perfection of Christ in this regard. He is the pure, bright Sun in which there is no mist. Our light is just like a glimmering stalk of straw in comparison with this Sun. Christ is a glowing oven full of fire and perfect love. But He is still satisfied with our little candle, if we provide some sort of evidence of letting our love shine forth.

Take a look at the Gospel record and see how Christ dealt with His disciples. He bore with them when they were guilty of foolish conduct and even when they, at times, went astray. In their service, His wisdom yielded to their folly. He did not condemn them but bore their weakness with long-suffering patience. “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand,” He tells them on one occasion (John 13:7). Through such love He gives up His righteousness, judgement, might, wrath, punishment, and the rights he has over us and our sins. He could condemn us because of our folly. But He does no more than to say, “You are in the wrong; you do not know anything; do not, however, reject me, but trust me.”

And so I say that it is no small example of love to be able to bear with our neighbor when he is weak in faith and love.

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PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, fill our hearts at all times with such love for our neighbor that we understand his weaknesses and needs and continue to bear with him, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 19:7-14

They understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said. Luke 18:34

What Jesus said to the disciples had no meaning for them at this time. “This saying was hid from them.” This amounts to saying, “Reason, flesh, and blood cannot understand or grasp that Scripture should declare how the Son of Man must be crucified.” Still less can it understand that such is His will, and that He does this gladly.

Reason does not believe that this is necessary for us; it wants to take care of itself before God with works. God must reveal this in our hearts by His Spirit, after proclaiming it outwardly into our ears by His Word.

Even those to whom the Spirit reveals it inwardly find it hard to believe this and have to struggle with this.

So great and wonderful a thing it is that the Son of man is crucified willingly and gladly to fulfill the Scriptures, that is, for our good. It is a mystery and remains a mystery.

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AE 76:351

PRAYER: O Lord, we are always in need of the enlightenment of Your Holy Spirit through Your Word. We thank You that, through the Spirit, we can understand the treasures of Your Word and make them our own. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 10:1-7

[Christ said,] “‘Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,’ as it is written of me in the roll of the scroll.” Hebrews 10:7

Christ’s sufferings are understood correctly when we do not simply regard the sufferings as such but recognize and grasp His heart and will to suffer. For if one regards His sufferings in isolation without recognizing His heart and will therein, one will be shocked by Christ’s sufferings rather than rejoice in them. But if one sees that Christ’s heart and will are in these sufferings, it produces real comfort, confidence, and pleasure in Christ.

The psalmist praises this will of God and Christ in suffering when he says, “In the roll of the scroll it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:7-8). The epistle to the Hebrews also refers to this when it says, “By that will we have been sanctified” (Hebrews 10:10). It does not say through the suffering and blood of Christ, which is pure enough, but through the will of God and of Christ, that they were both of one will to sanctify us through Christ’s blood.

This will to suffer He also manifests in the Gospel (Matthew 16:21-23), where He proclaims beforehand that He is going up to Jerusalem to suffer Himself to be crucified. It is as though He were saying, “Look into my heart to see that I am doing this willingly, without compulsion, and gladly, so that you may not be shocked or dismayed thereby when you see it come to pass and begin to think that I am doing it unwillingly, that I must do it, that I am forsaken, and that the Jews are doing it by their authority.”

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PRAYER: Thanks be to You, loving Father, for sending us such a ready and willing Savior, whose love for us has been manifested in His readiness and willingness to suffer and die for us and in our stead. Mercy and love are all Your ways, and those of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 16:21-23

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21

Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 16:21-23 before He entered upon His suffering, as He was on His way to Jerusalem. His immediate purpose was to celebrate Easter at Jerusalem. In all probability, the disciples had not the slightest idea of His impending sufferings at this time. They thought that they would have a joyful time at the festival.

Christ mentions His sufferings on this journey so that the faith of His disciples might be strengthened later on when they recalled His words in which He had told them of His sufferings. He had submitted to these sufferings willingly and was not simply crucified through the power and cunning of the Jews.

Isaiah had long foretold that He would willingly and gladly offer Himself (Isaiah 53:7). The angel, on Easter morning, also reminded the women to remember the words He had spoken to them (Luke 24:6) that they might know and more firmly believe that He suffered all this willingly and for our good.

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thanks and praise to You for Your willingness and readiness to suffer and die on our behalf and for our good, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen.

PALM SUNDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 13:45-46

“If anyone keeps my word.” John 8:51

It is quite clear from the context in which these words stand what Jesus means here by “keeping” His Word. He does not mean “keeping” in the sense that “keep” has when one speaks about “keeping” the Law. One “keeps” the Law by means of works. When Christ speaks here of “keeping” His Word, He means “keeping” it in one’s heart by faith, not keeping it with the fist or with works.

This is the wrong idea that the Jews have when they rage in such a horrible fashion against Christ and say to Him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death’” (John 8:52). They do not know what “keep,” “dying,” and “living” mean in this context.

It is not without good reason that Jesus employs the word “keep” here, because keeping His Word involves a struggle and a battle, for sin bites, death exerts its presence, and hell threatens. Under such conditions we must “keep” Christ’s Word, cling to it firmly, and not let ourselves be parted from it.

Note how Christ replies to the Jews in praise of His doctrine. “You claim,” He says, “that my Word is from the devil and you want to suppress it even beneath hell. But I say that it has divine power within it and exalt it above all the heavens and all creatures.”

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AE 76:412

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have clearly shown us in our Gospel that Your teaching is the most precious thing we can ever learn in our earthly lives. Grant us Your grace to appreciate this fact at all times so that we keep Your Word, for Your truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 1:1-13

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58

Jesus gives the basis and reason why it is just His Word and not that of anyone else which makes men live. It is simply this: that He “was” even before Abraham. “Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus is the one true God.

If the person who offered Himself for us were not God, it would help and avail nothing before God that He was born of a virgin or had suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the seed of Abraham, who gives Himself for us, is also the true God makes His sacrifice such a blessing for us and conquers sin and death for us.

Jesus is not speaking here of His human nature which could be seen and felt. From His human aspect, it could be seen that He was not yet fifty years old and, hence, could not have seen Abraham. But with the nature by which He infinitely antedated Abraham, He also antedated all other creatures and the whole world.

According to His spiritual essence, He was also man before Abraham; that is, in the word and knowledge of faith, He was in the saints who all knew and believed that Christ, God and man, would suffer for us. The writer of Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In the Revelation of John we read of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Here Jesus is speaking of His divine nature.

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PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, fill our hearts with such faith and knowledge that we always fully appreciate the precious gift of Your only begotten Son, and all the blessings of salvation You have so richly bestowed on us in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: GALATIANS 3:15-18

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” John 8:56

Christ here declares in opposition to the Jews that Abraham and the prophets still live and never died, but that in the midst of death they have life. But they lie and sleep in death. “Your father Abraham,” He says, “rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” The prophets also saw Him.

Where and when did they see Him? Not with bodily eyes, as the Jews understood Him to say, but with the vision of the faith which they had in their hearts. Abraham recognized Christ when He said to him, “By your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves” (Genesis 22:18). At that time, he saw and understood that Christ was to be born from his seed through a pure virgin and suffer for the whole world. He would not be cursed along with Adam’s children but remain blessed. He knew that his message would be proclaimed in all the world and bestow a blessing on the whole of mankind.

Christ’s “day” is the time of the Gospel, which is the light of this day which shines with Christ, the sun of righteousness, and lights up all the world.

This is a spiritual “day,” but it had a historical beginning in Christ’s time, which Abraham also “saw.”

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AE 76,413

PRAYER: Open the eyes of our faith and understanding by Your Holy Spirit, O Lord, that with Abraham of old we always rejoice to have seen Christ’s day, the day of salvation, and are really happy and joyful in our knowledge of Christ. Amen.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:51-56

I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. Psalm 118:17

How does it come to pass that one does not see death or taste it when Abraham and all the prophets died, who certainly had the Word of God, as the Jews also maintained? Here we must pay close attention to what Christ actually says and note that He makes a distinction between death in the ordinary common sense and not seeing death or tasting death.

We must all pass through death and die. But a Christian does not taste death or see death, that is, he does not feel death. He is not terrified in the face of death. He enters it quietly and softly, as though he is falling asleep and not dying at all. But the godless man must feel death and be terrified by it eternally.

To taste death means to experience the power and might or the bitterness of death and, indeed, eternal death and hell. God’s Word makes this distinction. The Christian knows this, and it helps him in the hour of death. He does not see heat. He sees nothing but life and Christ in the Word, and so he does not feel death. But the godless man does not have this Word; he has no life, but sheer death. So, he feels death, and eventually this is also the bitterness of eternal death.

With the believer it is all so very different. He knows the Word of Christ: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25,26).

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AE 76,412

PRAYER: Be with us, dear Lord Jesus, especially in the hour of our death, that, firmly relying on Your promises, we may not taste death but pass through death into life eternal, as You have assured us. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 17:1-5

“Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” John 8:51

Jesus really spoils things for His enemies when He not only offers a good and stout defense of His doctrine but ascribes such might to it that it holds full sway over the devil, death, and sin, imparting eternal life and preserving men therein.

See here how divine wisdom and human reason come into conflict! How can any man comprehend that a word spoken physically from a human mouth can save from death eternally?

But away with blindness! We want to deal with this beautiful passage. He speaks here not concerning the word of the Law but concerning the word of the Gospel, which is a discourse concerning Christ who died for our sins. God did not want to impart Christ to the world in any other way but by including Him in His Word and thus spreading Him out and setting Him forth. Otherwise, Christ would have remained completely isolated by Himself and would never have become known. And thus, He would have died for Himself alone.

Because the Word portrays Christ for us, it portrays for us Him who conquered sin, death, and the devil. Hence, anyone who grasps and holds the Word, grasps and holds Christ, and through the Word he also becomes freed from death eternally. Thus, it is a Word of life. It is true that he who keeps this Word will never see death eternally.

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AE 76,411

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, O God, for the riches of Your grace and mercy revealed to us in Your holy Gospel, culminating in the assurance of eternal life and salvation in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 12:14-21

“I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he will be the judge.” John 8:50

Why does Jesus not say in John 8:49, “I honor my Father and you dishonor Him”? He says, “You dishonor me.”

In a veiled manner, He indicates that His Father’s honor and His own honor are identical, one and the same thing, just as He is one God together with His Father. At the same time, however, He wants to remind us that if our ministry in praise of God is to obtain its due honor, it must also suffer shame.

We should also keep this in mind in our dealings with rulers and priests. When they question our lives, we will put up with it and repay them with love for hate and good for evil; but when they attack our doctrine, they are attacking God’s honor.

Here there must be a limit to love and patience. We must not remain silent but say, “I honor my Father, and so you dishonor me. It does not matter much that you dishonor me, for I am not seeking my own honor. But at the same time take warning! There is one who is seeking my honor and judging it. The Father will demand it from you and not leave you unpunished. He does not only seek His honor, but mine as well, for He has declared, ‘Those who honor me I will honor’ (1 Samuel 2:30).”

This is our consolation, so we can be quite joyful. Even though all the world casts shame on us and dishonors us, we are certain that God requires our honor and will punish, judge, and avenge. O that we would only believe it and wait upon Him! He is certainly coming!

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PRAYER: You have assured us, both by much instruction and many examples, O Lord, that You will adequately defend the honor of Your Word and those who proclaim it. Fill our hearts with courage and confidence so that we never lost heart, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 8:45

“Because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” John 8:45

It is true that no pastor’s life is ever so good that it is without sin before God. And so, it is enough if he is blameless in the eyes of his people. But his doctrine must be so good and pure that it stands up not only before men but also before God.

A godly preacher may well find himself in a position to ask his hearers, “Who from among you is going to find fault with me? From among you, I say, my fellow human beings! But before God I am a sinner.”

Moses does the same thing when he claims that he had not taken anything from them or harmed any one of them (Numbers 16:15).

Samuel, Jeremiah, and Hezekiah could also appeal to their blameless lives before the people to stop the mouths of slanderers.

Christ does not speak about His doctrine here. He does not say, “Who among you can fault my doctrine.” He says, “because I tell the truth.”

One must be sure that one’s doctrine is the truth and right before God and must not be concerned only how it is regarded by men.

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PRAYER: Grant us at all times such conviction of faith, heavenly Father, that we never have the slightest doubt that the whole truth of salvation has been revealed to us in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 8:46-59

“Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” John 8:46

This Gospel teaches us how hardened sinners become even more furious when one instructs them and encourages them in a friendly manner. Christ here asks them in a really friendly manner to supply a reason why they do not believe in Him when they are in no position at all to find fault either with His life or His doctrine.

His life is quite blameless. He can boldly confront the Jews with the challenge, “Which of you convicts me of sin?” His doctrine, too, is irreproachable, for He says, “If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” Christ is one whose walk of life squared in every way with what He taught.

Every preacher should always be quite confident about two factors. In the first place, he should lead a blameless life so that he may always have a courageous approach to his work and that he may not provide anyone with an easy excuse to blaspheme his doctrine. Secondly, his doctrine must also be blameless so that he never misleads anyone who follows him.

In both respects, then, he will be doing what is right. With his good life, he will be gaining the advantage over his enemies, who are more concerned with his life than his doctrine and may despise his doctrine because of his life. With his doctrine, he is serving his friends, who are more concerned with his doctrine than with his life and will put up with his life for the sake of his doctrine.

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PRAYER: Provide Your Church with faithful pastors, O God, who practice what they preach and whose proclamation is always sure and certain, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 7:14-24

“If I cast out demons by Be-elzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?” Luke 11:19

Jesus certainly confronts His enemies here with a telling and crushing question when He asks them, “If I cast out demons by Be-elzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?” He means to ask them, “Is it not rabid hatred to condemn in me what you praise in your own children? When your children do something, it is from God; but because I do a thing, it must be from the devil.” That is how the world must react to Christ. What Christ does is of the devil; if someone else did it, it would be right.

This is also the reasoning of the tyrants and enemies of the Gospel today. They condemn in us what they praise in themselves, and they confess it and teach it. This is how they must act, so that the judgment passed on them is publicly approved, namely, that their condemnation is correct. The “sons” who cast out devils, whom Christ mentions here, were, I believe, exorcists who functioned among the people. God bestowed many spiritual gifts on His people from of old. He calls them their “sons” as though He meant them to understand, “I am God’s son and yet I must belong to the devil; but those who are your ‘sons’ born from you do the same as I do but must not be regarded as belonging to the devil.”

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You suffered scorn, mockery, contempt, and blasphemy for us, and men turned a deaf ear to Your testimony and proclamation. In all this we know, O Lord, that You have set a pattern for us to follow in Your name. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 6:1-11

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:25

The meaning of Jesus is that he who clings to the Word will not feel or see death, even in the midst of death, as He also declares later on: “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, for I am the life” (John 11:25).

Here we see what a wonderful thing the Christian faith really is, for it already saves us from death eternally and brings it to pass that we never die. The death and dying of a Christian is just like that of an unbeliever externally, but inwardly there is as much difference here as the difference between heaven and earth. For the Christian sleeps in death and passes through it to life, but the unbeliever passes from life to experience death eternally.

We also see this from the way in which some shake in terror, are full of doubt and even despair, and completely lose all reason and sense in the throes of death.

This is why Scripture also calls death a sleep. For just as the one who falls asleep does not really know what is happening to him and recovers consciousness quite suddenly in the morning when he wakes up, so we, too, will arise on the last day without any knowledge how we died and passed through death.

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus, draw us ever closer to You in true and living faith so that we firmly believe that, whether we live or die, we are Yours and the heirs of eternal life and blessedness with You, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 36

Thy steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Thy faithfulness to the clouds. Psalm 36:5

God’s power and might is in the very bread we eat. He is present in this bread and nourishes us through it and under it, but in an invisible manner. We think that it is the bread that does it all! But where no bread is available, He nourishes men without bread by His Word alone. He acts here also as He acts under the bread, invisibly. The bread is His “fellow worker,” as Paul says, “We are fellow workers for God” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Through and under our external office of the ministry, He gives His grace inwardly—that grace which He could actually give without our office and does give without it. But while the office is there, one should not despise it or tempt God.

So also He nourishes us through bread externally, but inwardly He alone gives the growth and digestion which the bread cannot give. In short, all creatures are God’s masks and mummers, whom He wants to work along with Him and help Him to accomplish all sorts of things, which He could certainly accomplish without their co-operation and also does accomplish without them.

This is what He has ordained so that we should learn to cling to His pure Word alone. If there is bread, do not put all your confidence in it; if there is no bread, there are still no grounds for despair. Use the bread when it is available and do without it when it is not available.

But at all times we should be certain that we are nourished by the Word of God, whether bread is available or not. With this faith, one conquers greed, bodily indulgence, and temporal concern for our nourishment.

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PRAYER: Keep us ever alert, heavenly Father, to the fact that we continually need the blessing of Your Word in all that we do in our daily lives, even in our eating and drinking, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 121

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

There are situations in life when God really strips us bare and we suffer want, even in regard to such matters as clothing, housing, and the like. But before very long, clothing has to be found, otherwise the very leaves would have to be plucked from the trees and become coats and cloaks for us to wear, just as it happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness, whose clothing and shoes remained intact (Deuteronomy 8:2,4). So also the wild deserts became their houses and provided ways for them where there were no ways and water where there was no water; indeed, stones became water for them.

God’s Word stands fast, which says, “He cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7). What Paul says to Timothy is only too true: “God [...] richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

Christ’s own words in His Sermon on the Mount also apply here: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore, do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:33,34). Such words must remain true and stand fast into all eternity.

It is quite a common sight that poor people and their children are better conditioned and that their provisions seem to go further and to be more beneficial than is the case with the wealthy and their rich supplies. In many ways, we are reminded that earthly provisions are not the only matter of importance. God’s Word nourishes all men.

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, you have assured us that you will be with us always, even to the end of time. For this reason, we now turn to you in the faith and conviction that you will always hear us, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 7:7-12

Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” John 6:11,12

In taking the five loaves and blessing them, Jesus gives us to understand that there is never anything so insignificant that it cannot be of some use for His disciples. He can bless even a little for them, so that they eventually have more than enough, whereas those who are rich often do not have enough with all their riches.

“Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing,” as the Psalmist declares, but the rich often suffer hunger. “The young lions suffer want and hunger” (Psalm 34:10). In her Magnificat, Mary also reminds us that “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1:53).

On the other hand, in giving the order that the fragments should be gathered up, Jesus teaches us to be saving, to look after His blessings, to make good use of them so that one never tempts God by the misuse of His blessings.

Just as He wants us to have faith when we have nothing and to be quite sure that He will provide for us, so also He does not want us to tempt Him by despising the blessing He has given us or by letting them lie to rot away while awaiting others from heaven by way of a miracle.

What He has provided, we should accept and use. What He has not provided, we should wait for with firm faith.

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PRAYER: You have often shown us in your Word, O Lord, that your children will never lack any good thing. We trust you to provide all the “good things” we need as your children. Grant us your grace that we never misuse any of these good things, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 15:12-17

“As the Father has loved me, so have I love you; abide in my love.” John 15:9

In His feeding of the five thousand, our Lord gives us a splendid example of His manifold love for men. In the first place, His miracle in providing so much food is not performed only for the benefit of His godly followers who followed Him for the sake of His works and words. It benefited also those who were concerned only about their bodily welfare, who sought only food, drink, and temporal honor from Him.

Soon after this, Jesus set some of these people straight at Capernaum when He said, “You seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26). They actually wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him their king (John 6:15).

Here, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sends His rain and lets His sun shine on the evil and on the good (Matthew 5:45).

In the second place, we should note how Jesus, in a most friendly manner, bears with the crudeness and weak faith of His disciples. His testing question to Philip and his apparent appeal to reason, and Andrew’s rather childish contribution to the matter under discussion, are recorded here to bring to light the imperfection of the apostles. Over against all this, His own love and friendly treatment of them shines forth even more beautifully and with greater love.

All this should stimulate our faith and act as an example for us to follow. The members of our body and all creatures also offer us common instruction. For all that God has created is full of love; the one creature bears, helps, and rescues the other.

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus, your love for us was truly wonderful and passing knowledge. Let this love always be aglow within us so that we accept it in true faith for our salvation and practice it for the benefit of all our fellowmen, for your love’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 6:1-15

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33

In the Gospel of the feeding of the five thousand, Christ once again teaches us the need for faith without anxious worry about food and clothing. Then He stirs us up with a miracle in which He actually demonstrates in deed what He says in words in the Sermon on the Mount, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

We see here that the people follow Him to hear God’s Word and to witness signs. They are seeking God’s kingdom. Jesus does not forsake them but provides them richly with food. He shows quite clearly that before those who seek God’s kingdom should suffer want, the grass in the wilderness should rather become corn and one piece of bread should rather become a thousand loaves, so that what He declared to the devil at the time of His temptation would stand fast, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

So that this principle of God’s Word should be confirmed and stand fast, He proceeds to provide for these people what they should eat. He consults Philip about the matter even before they make any complaints and ask for food.

From this we also should learn to let Him do the worrying for us, and we should realize that He thinks about us more and sooner than we think about ourselves.

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PRAYER: You know all our needs, O Lord, even before we think about them ourselves. You have promised never to leave or forsake us. Be with us then, O Lord, at all times, for the sake of your truth and mercy. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 9:46-50

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23

The Gospels are replete with many fine sayings which set forth very important teachings. This is also the case in Christ’s words at the end of the Gospel concerning the healing of the dumb demoniac: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” “The devil is not with me, for I drive him out. And so, he must certainly be against me.”

However, this saying refers not only to the devil, but to the blasphemers on whom also He passes sentence and condemnation here. They are against Him because they are not with Him.

To be with Christ means to think with Christ, that is, to believe in Christ, to believe that His works and not our works help us. That is Christ’s position, and that is what He teaches. To “gather” with Christ is to do good in love and to be rich in good works.

He who does not believe in Christ is compelled to rely on his own works. Such a man is not with Christ but against Christ. He denies Christ because he builds on his own works. A man who does not love does not gather with Christ but performs vain works, whereby he becomes worse and gets further away from faith.

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PRAYER: Lord God, our loving, heavenly Father, grant us at all times such an understanding and clarity of faith that we are always absolutely with Christ and not against Him, gathering with Him and not scattering. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 16:17-20

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.” Luke 11:21,22

In this illustration taken from everyday life, Jesus demonstrates that no one but God alone can really overcome the devil. No one is ever in a position to boast that he can of himself drive out sin and the devil.

Note well how He describes the devil. He calls him “a strong man” who is fully armed and guards his own palace. That is, the devil not only has possession of the world as his own kingdom, but he also has it guarded and supported so that no one can take it from him. It is also a kingdom with inner peace that carries out his will.

Just as little as a house or court may successfully oppose or guard itself against a tyrant who really has possession of it, so little can free will or human might avail against sin and the devil. It can avail nothing at all—it must be subject to sin and the devil.

Just as the house must be conquered by a “stronger” man and be taken away from the tyrant, so also must man be saved and rescued from the devil through Christ.

We see here once again that, in the matter of our salvation, our doing and righteousness avail nothing at all, but that it is God’s grace alone that bestows salvation upon us.

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PRAYER: Keep us ever mindful, heavenly Father, that in our battle against sin and the devil, success awaits us only if we contend against our old evil foe with all the resources which you in your grace provide for us, in and through the “stronger” man, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: EPHESIANS 6:12-17

“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? [...] If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Luke 11:18,20

From Christ’s words in this Gospel, it follows that where God’s finger does not drive out the devil, the devil’s kingdom still stands, and where the devil’s kingdom is, there is no kingdom of God. It follows quite conclusively that as long as the Holy Spirit has not come to us, we are not only incapable of accomplishing what is good but are of necessity in the devil’s kingdom.

If we are in the devil’s kingdom, we cannot possibly do anything else but what pleases the devil; otherwise, it could not be called his kingdom. Paul suggests that such people are caught in the snare of the devil, being captured by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). How could the devil permit the subjects of his kingdom to follow their own inclinations in doing what is against his kingdom and not for his kingdom?

Christ here makes a most striking, shocking but important statement when He assigns a kingdom to the devil that cannot be avoided when the Holy Spirit is absent. He also declares that God’s kingdom cannot come unless the devil’s kingdom is driven from us with God’s own power from heaven.

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PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, in your glorious resurrection from the dead, you proclaimed your victory over sin, death, and the devil. Fill our hearts with such trust in your victory that we go from strength to strength in the power of your truth, for your love’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-5

“Therefore, they [your sons] shall be your judges. But, if it is by the finger of God I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Luke 11:19,20

When Jesus tells the Jews, who question His authority to cast out demons and ascribe it to the devil, that their sons will be their judges, He means to say that He is appealing to these sons. These sons will be forced to pronounce the judgement that they are slandering Him unjustly and condemning themselves in doing so.

If one devil does not drive out another devil, there must be another power operative here which is neither devilish nor human, namely, divine power. Jesus continues, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” This “finger of God” Matthew clearly designates as “the Spirit of God,” for in describing this same event he reports Jesus as saying, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons [...]” (Matthew 12:28).

In short, Christ here wants to say, “If the kingdom of God is to come to you, the devil must be driven out, for his kingdom is opposed to God’s kingdom, as you yourselves must confess. But the devil is not driven out by a devil, much less by men or through the power of men. He is driven out only through the Spirit and the power of God.”

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PRAYER: According to your Word and promises, O Lord, let your kingdom of grace come to us and be established in our midst, through the active working of your Holy Spirit in the means of grace, for the Savior’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: TITUS 3:8-11

Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. Mark 1:25,26

No one should imagine that the evil spirits at times present an appearance of disunity and that one yields to the other to deceive men. For it is quite evident that they offer resistance, demur, cry out and storm, tear and rage when they sense that an earnest effort is being made to drive them out. They are opposed to Christ and at variance with Him, yielding to Him under compulsion and unwillingly. Nothing is left here but the patent and blasphemous lie in which they are held fast and disgraced, so they seize upon God’s work out of poisonous hatred and jealousy in the interests of the devil.

From this we should learn not to be unduly surprised if our doctrine and conduct is blasphemed, and if hardened hearts are never satisfied and converted, even though they have been overcome by palpable truth and their mouths have been stopped.

It is enough that their hardened folly has been disclosed by our answer before the godly, recognized for what it is, and brought to naught so that the godly may not be misled by any mere appearance of good. Thereafter, let them go their own way. Such people are perverted and sinful and even “Self-condemned,” as Paul reminds Titus (3:11).

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PRAYER: In your mercy and grace, O Lord, direct and govern all our efforts as your disciples, that the best interests of your kingdom are always served and our neighbor’s welfare is promoted, in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Be-elzebul, the prince of demons” [...] But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and house falls upon house. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-elzebul.” Luke 11:15,17,18

What did these slanderers reply to this clear logic of Jesus? Their mouth was stopped, and their heart was hardened so that they put forward no more questions. For a hardened heart is no longer open to instruction, no matter how brightly and clearly the truth is set forth. But the faith of the godly is strengthened hereby when they see that the ground for their faith is true and good.

For the sake of the godly, answers must at times be given to those who are hardened, and their mouths stopped. Even though they are not converted or silenced, it serves a good purpose to have their stubborn folly revealed, showing that the longer they speak the more their folly increases.

From this it also can be deduced that their cause does not even have the appearance of being good and true, as Solomon also says, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Proverbs 26:5). His meaning is to shame, for the sake of others, so that they do not follow him and are not deceived by him, as though he were in the right.

Otherwise, where there is no such special reason, it is better to be silent, as Solomon says in the same context, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself” (Proverbs 26:4).

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PRAYER: O Lord, give us at all times the courage to speak out boldly for the sake of others and wisdom to be silent lest we increase the folly of others by our speaking. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 11:14-28

He was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke. Luke 11:14

This is a beautiful Gospel in which we learn a great deal about many different things, and in it there is portrayed almost all that Christ, His kingdom, and Gospel are. We learn what the Gospel achieves and how it makes its way in the world.

First of all, as do all the Gospels, it teaches us faith and love, for it holds up Christ before us as a savior and help in all needs, out of His great love. He who believes this is saved.

Here we see also that He has nothing to do with those who are well but with the poor man who is ailing under many troubles. He was blind, as Matthew tells us (12:22), and dumb and possessed by a demon, as Luke says. Most of the deaf are also dumb, so that in Greek the same word is used for deaf and dumb.

The concern of Jesus for this poor man is an incentive for us to turn to Him in every need, expecting from Him all that is good. After experiencing good at His hands, we should follow Him in love and do good to others, as He has done good to us. This is the common and most delightful teaching of this Gospel and of all the Gospels throughout the whole church year.

This poor dumb man, moreover, did not come to Jesus without the Word. Those who brought him to Jesus must have heard of Christ’s love, and this moved them to put their trust in Him. Let us always remember that faith comes through the Word.

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus, your love and compassion for men in their trials and troubles was truly wonderful. Be to us a helper and savior also today, for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 33:13-22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22

That God nourishes the whole world by means of bread, and not only through the Word without bread, has its special reason. God is concealing His work under this procedure in order to exercise our faith.

In the case of the children of Israel also, He issued orders for them to arm themselves and fight, but He did not want them to gain the victory through their sword and their own deeds. He Himself wanted to defeat their enemies and gain the victory under their sword and through their deeds. Here He could also have said, “The warrior does not gain the victory through his own sword alone, but through every word which proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

David also says, “Not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me” (Psalm 44:6). “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man” (Psalm 147:10).

He still makes use of man and horse, sword and bow, but He fights and He accomplishes everything without the power and might of the man and the horse. The latter are merely curtains and coverings for His might and power. This is proved by the fact that He has often acted, and still often acts daily, without man and horse where necessity demands it and where there is no possibility of a temptation of Himself being involved.

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PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, our stay and support in all our needs, grant us such an understanding of your Word and trust in its teachings that we always accept all its consolations in firm assurance, in and through Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 46

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without waver, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

What we are told about the Canaanite woman and her faith (Matthew 15:21-28) has been written for our comfort and instruction, that we may learn how deeply God at times hides His grace from us. We should not form our estimate of Him according to our feelings and speculations but hold absolutely and completely to His Word.

Here we see that, although Christ takes up a very inflexible position, He does not make any final judgements by expressly saying “No.” His replies all seem to be negative, but they do not contain a final “No.” They hang and float in the air.

He does not say, “I will not listen to her,” but remains silent, saying neither “Yes” or “No.” Nor does He say that she is not from the house of Israel. He simply states that He is sent only to the house of Israel. He lets the matter hang and float between “Yes” and “No.” Nor does He say, “You are a dog; you should not receive any of the children’s bread.” He says, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” He lets it hang and float whether she is a dog or not. But all his replies seem to imply a “No” rather than a “Yes,” and yet there is more of “Yes” in his replies than “No.”

There is “Yes” here and nothing but “Yes,” but it is deep and hidden and seems to be “No.”

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PRAYER: There are times, heavenly Father, when we feel that you are far away from us and that your grace is hidden from us. Open our eyes at such times with the light of your truth so that we see clearly that your grace and love are steadfast and unchanging and ever available to us in and through our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 9:14-24

She came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” Matthew 15:25

The Canaanite woman came to Jesus in a house, as Mark tells us, “and fell down at his feet,” Mark 7:25, and made her plea; “Lord, help me!”

It was now that she received the mortal blow. Before all present, she was told in so many words that she was a dog, not worthy to partake of the children’s bread. What will she say to this? Here she has heard the very worst. She is one of the lost who have been damned, who are not to be reckoned with the elect.

This is a final, irrevocable reply, and no one can debate it. But she does not desist. She concurs with Christ’s judgement and agrees with it. She is a dog, and she wants no more than a dog, namely, to eat the crumbs which fall from the master’s table.

Is this not a master-touch? She takes Christ captive with His own words. He compares her with a dog. She accepts the comparison and asks for no more than permission to be such a dog, as He Himself has judged her to be. Where was He to turn? He was caught. One lets a dog have the crumbs under the table; these are his right.

He now opens up to the woman and grants her what she wishes. She is now not a dog but also a child of Israel.

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PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, our loving heavenly Father, for the mercy and grace which brought us to faith in you and your promises and which has kept us in this faith, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 11:5-13

We share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. Hebrews 3:14

When we hear how Christ answered the Canaanite woman in the Gospel (Matthew 15:21-26), we are in a way reminded of quite a number of remarkable statements that He made to His disciples on various occasions. He said to them, “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). In Mark we read, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will” (Mark 11:24). There are also many other passages of this kind.

What has come of all these promises here? He soon answers and says, “It is true that I hear all prayers; but such promises I have made only to the house of Israel.”

Is this not a real thunderclap which shatters both heart and faith into a thousand pieces? The Word of God, on which the woman has built her faith, is not spoken to her; it concerns others. Here all saints and all intercession must become silent; here the heart must let the Word go, if it is to allow the feelings to decide the matter.

But what does the woman do? She does not give up. She still clings to the Word, even though it seems that an attempt is being made to force her to give it up. She does not heed the stern words of Christ. She still has the firm conviction that somehow or other Christ’s goodness is still concealed under all this. She is still not prepared to form the judgement that Christ is ungracious or that He can be ungracious. This is what it means to hold fast!

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PRAYER: Grant us a full measure of your grace, heavenly Father, so that, despite all the obstacles our faith meets in a world where there is much sin and opposition to your holy will, we may still maintain a firm and unwavering faith in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 1:21-23

His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:23,24

When the cries and faith of the Canaanite woman prove fruitless, the disciples of Christ lodge an appeal on her behalf in the belief that they will certainly be heard. But when they suggest that Christ should become more lenient, He actually becomes harder and renders the faith and prayer of both parties ineffective—as it seems to their feelings. For he does not remain silent here and leave them in doubt; He declines their plea and declares, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

This rebuff is even more severe, for not only are our own persons rejected, but the only consolation still available to us is also cut off, namely, the consolation and intercession of godly and holy people on our behalf. For when we feel that God is no longer gracious to us, and we find ourselves entangled in a very distressing situation, it is our last resort to turn for counsel and help to godly men who are led by the Spirit of God. If these men are willing to do for us what love demands of them, but nothing comes of all their efforts, and they have not even been given a hearing, we really find ourselves in a worse plight than before their intervention on our behalf.

Even this rebuff did not weaken the faith of this Canaanite woman. She still believed and trusted in the good report she had heard of Christ.

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PRAYER: Your promises and assurance to us, O Lord, are true and steadfast. Grant us at all times such confidence in the declarations of your Gospel that we never waver in faith but ever stand fast in your grace, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: 1 PETER 1:16-21

Behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. Matthew 15:22,23

Note how Christ hammers and drives faith into His believers so that it becomes strong and firm! First, when the Canaanite woman follows the good report she has heard about Christ and cries to Him in the sure confidence that, in accordance with this report, He will also treat her graciously, Christ presents a completely different picture to the woman.

She soon had grounds for believing that her faith and good confidence in Him were quite misplaced. She had every reason to ask: “Is this the good, friendly man?” or “Are these the good words I heard reported of Him and on which I relied? It cannot be true. He is your foe. He does not want to have anything to do with you. He might as well tell me outright: I don’t want to have anything to do with you! But now He is as silent as a stone.”

This is a heavy rebuff when God presents such a stern and angry face and completely hides His grace, as those well know who feel and experience in their hearts the thought that God will not keep what He has spoken and will allow His Word to prove itself false. This happened to the children of Israel at the Red Sea. In other ways, it has been the experience of many other saints.

What does this woman do in such a situation? She simply disregards the unfriendly countenance of Christ and does not let any of this lead her astray. She does not take it all according to the letter. She remains absolutely firm in her reliance on the good report she has received and will not be removed from it.

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PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for the certainty of truth and salvation which you have revealed to us in your Gospel of salvation. We pray for the grace to keep us ever firmly fixed in our faith in you and your Gospel, in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 15:21-28

Immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Mark 7:25

In this Canaanite woman, we see that true faith is confidence of the heart in the grace and goodness of God, revealed and experienced through God’s Word. St. Mark tells us that she had “heard” of Jesus: a report about Jesus had, somehow or other, reached her. What kind of report? Without a doubt, it was a good report that was being noised about: that Christ was a godly man who readily helped everyone. Such a report about God is real gospel and a word of grace. It awakened faith in this woman, for if she had not believed, she would not have followed after Jesus.

How does it come to pass that many more heard this good report about Christ, who did not follow after Him and paid no attention to this good report? The answer is that the physician is useful and welcome to the sick, but those who are well pay no attention to Him. The Canaanite woman, however, felt her need, and so she followed this sweet report.

Moses must also precede here and teach men to recognize their sins so that grace may become sweet and welcome. It is labor lost to portray Christ in the most friendly and lovable manner, unless men have been humbled previously by self-knowledge and hunger for Christ, as the Magnificat also declares, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1:53).

This is all said and written for those who are distressed, poor, needy, sinful, and despised, so that in all their needs they may know to whom they should flee to seek consolation and help.

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PRAYER: We know full well, O Lord, that of ourselves and by our merits we are poor, lost, and condemned sinners. Eternal thanks and praise be to you for the sweet news of salvation which you have revealed to us in your Gospel of salvation, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 34:1-10

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. Matthew 4:11

Finally, the angels came to Him and ministered to Him. This must have taken place in a bodily manner. They appeared as bodily ministrants and brought Him food and drink and ministered to His needs at the table and in all other ways. They rendered external services to His body.

The devil, His tempter, without a doubt also appeared in a bodily form, perhaps also as an angel. For he must have been something higher than a human being to place Him on a pinnacle of the temple and to show Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment. That the devil was something higher than a man is also apparent in his offer of all the kingdoms of the world and the suggestion that Christ should worship him. He certainly did not appear here in his true colors, for when he wants to lie and deceive, he tries to look beautiful. St. Paul says that he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

What we read in the Gospel is for our comfort. We should learn that, where one devil assails us, many angels can minister to us. If we fight manfully and resist the devil, God will not let us suffer want. He will send His angels to minister to us, and at times they can even serve us as our bakers, butlers, and cooks and help us in our every need. This was not written for Christ’s sake; He did not need this. If the angels ministered to Him, they can also minister to us.

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PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, send your holy angels to us that, by their ministrations, we may be protected from all harm and danger and ever rest in your grace, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: JAMES 4:5-10

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8,9

The third temptation is concerned with temporal honor and power.

Those who fall away from the faith for the sake of honor and power are victims of this temptation. They want to enjoy nothing but good days here on earth and believe only as far as honor and glory will permit. To this class belong also the heretics, who cause sects and factions among Christians so that they may go their way before the world and float about in honor.

You can place this third temptation on the right-hand side and the first one on the left-hand side. The first temptation concerns misfortune, which stirs up anger, impatience, and unbelief in us; the third and last is a temptation of good fortune, in which one is urged to seek pleasure, honor, joy, and everything exalted.

The second, middle temptation is altogether spiritual and concerns itself with freakish pranks and error to mislead us in our understanding and to draw us away from faith.

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PRAYER: Lord, preserve us by the power of your Word against all the ragings and ravings of our old evil foe, Satan, and all his machinations, in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7

The devil’s second temptation is quite different from the first one but quite similar to it in its absurdity.

Here the devil teaches us to tempt God, just as he urged Christ to throw Himself from a pinnacle of the temple. This was quite unnecessary in any case, because there would probably have been a good set of stairs available on which He could have climbed down. That the devil here tried to induce Christ to a temptation of God is quite clear from Christ’s reply.

Wherever the devil comes upon a heart that trusts God in the hour of want and need, he quickly abandons concerns for bodily welfare and greed and makes his assault from quite a different angle. “If you want to be all spiritual and trusting,” he says, “I’ll give you some help.” He proceeds to come at you from another direction: he tries to get you to put your faith into something that God has not commanded you to believe and does not want you to believe.

It may be that God has supplied your house with bread, as He does annually throughout the whole world, and you refuse to make use of it, making want and need for yourself, declaring, “We are to put our faith in God. I will not eat the bread but wait till God sends me bread from heaven.” That would be tempting God. For He does not tell you that you must still hope for what you already have and keep on working for it. How can you hope for something you already have?

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PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, our old evil foe, the devil, was cunning enough and brazen enough to attack even your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. When he tempts us into unbelief and wrong beliefs, you have shown in our Son’s example how to overcome the devil’s temptations. Grant us your grace and strength to do this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:36-41

If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. Matthew 4:3

After approaching Christ, the devil assails Him by confronting Him with His bodily welfare and casting doubt on God’s goodness, saying, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

It is as though he meant to say: “Rely on God and don’t bake; wait until a roasted rooster flies into your mouth. Do you now claim that you still have a God who cares for you? Where now is your heavenly Father, who looks after you? I am telling you; He is leaving you in the lurch. Eat up now and drink in faith and let us see how satisfied you will be, especially if they are stones. What a fine Son of God you are! What a Father He is to you, when He does not even send you a crust of bread, and lets you be so poor and needy. Just keep on believing that you are His Son and He is your Father.”

With such thoughts the devil assails all the children of God. Christ certainly experienced all this. He was no stock or stone, although He was pure and without sin and remained so, as we cannot be.

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PRAYER: For our sakes, O Lord, you suffered yourself to be tempted by our enemy, the devil, and overcame him with the powerful testimony of your Father’s holy Word. Enable us, your disciples, to gain a similar victory over the devil whenever we are assailed by him, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 12:22-31

Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. Hebrews 5:8,9

The account of Christ’s temptation has been written both for our learning and admonition.

First, we should learn here how Christ, by His fasting, hunger, temptation, and victory, served us and helped us. Accordingly, he who believes in Christ shall suffer no want, and no temptation can harm him. He will have sufficient in the midst of need, and he will be safe in the midst of temptation. His Lord and head has conquered for him and for his benefit in all these respects. Of this he is quite sure, for his Lord has declared, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). If God could nourish Christ for forty days without food, He can also nourish His Christians.

Secondly, this example also admonishes us to endure want and temptation gladly in the service of God and for the good of our neighbor, as Christ did for us, as often as the need arises. It will certainly arise if we are to teach and confess God’s Word. Therefore, this Gospel is a wonderful consolation and strengthening against our unbelieving and shameless flesh. It establishes and strengthens our conscience that we do not plague ourselves with worry about our bodily welfare but are certain that He will and can nourish us.

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PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, O Lord our Savior, for all that you suffered in our stead and on our behalf. Bless us at all times with your gifts, that we gladly suffer in the service of God and for the benefit of our neighbor, for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 8:12-17

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1

There is a reason why the evangelist, with considerable care, states right at the beginning of this Gospel that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, that He fasted there, and was tempted. The reason for this is that no one should ever presume to follow Christ’s example by his own choice and make a selfish fast of it, decided by his own will alone. He should wait for the Spirit, who will send him quite enough fasting and temptation.

Anyone who deliberately courts the danger of hunger or any other temptation when, under the blessing of God, he can eat, drink, and enjoy the other comforts of life, is tempting God. We should never seek out shortages and temptation. They will doubtless come of themselves to give us ample opportunity to do our best in noble fashion.

We read that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” not “Jesus chose the wilderness for Himself.” Paul also says, “All who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). God gives His blessings for us to use them with thanksgiving and not to despise them. He does not bless us so that we should tempt Him.

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PRAYER: Enlighten us and guide us by your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, that we never presume to tempt you in disregard of your blessings but use them to your greater glory, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 4:1-11

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

It is customary to read the Gospel of Christ’s temptation by the devil at the beginning of the season of Lent to set Christ’s example before Christians and encourage them to fast as Christ fasted.

This is utter tomfoolery!

In the first place, no one can ever measure up to such an example and fast without any food at all for forty days and nights as Christ did. Christ, moreover, followed the example of Moses, who also fasted for forty days and nights when he received God’s law on Mount Sinai. Accordingly, Christ also wanted to fast when He was about to bring us the new law and to publish it.

In the second place, our fasting is a complete mistake instituted by men. Although Christ fasted for forty days, there is nothing at all in His Word in which He orders us to do likewise. He probably also did other things that He does not want us to do. But what He tells us to do and not to do, we should keep carefully in mind and act according to His Word.

Our worst mistake of all was to regard and practice our fasting as a good work. We did not fast to discipline our flesh but to acquire merit before God, to blot out our sins, and to obtain grace.

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PRAYER: You have bound us, O Lord, as your children to your Word as our rule of faith and life. In this Word, you assure us we shall know the truth, and the truth will set us free. This we also pray in your name. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:57-58

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

We have no hesitation at all in declaring that anyone who contemplates God’s sufferings for a day, an hour, a quarter of an hour, does better than fasting for a whole year, praying a psalm every day, and hearing a hundred masses. For such contemplation changes a man quite basically and is very close to the new birth of baptism. Here the sufferings of Christ perform their true and noble work. They choke the Old Adam and dispel all pleasure, joy, and confidence in creatures, even as Christ was forsaken by all and even by God.

Because this work is not under our control, it happens that at times we must pray for it. The result does not follow immediately. Nevertheless, we must not lose heart and desist from our efforts. Sometimes, it happens that we do not pray in accordance with God’s will. God acts in freedom and will not become our captive. And so, a man may become saddened in his conscience and very dissatisfied with his life without realizing that it is Christ’s sufferings, of which he thinks very little, that are influencing him in this way, just as others can ponder Christ’s sufferings almost continuously without ever coming to self-knowledge. With the former, the sufferings of Christ are a hidden but genuine factor; with the latter, they are merely apparent and deceptive. In this way, God often brings the unexpected to pass.

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PRAYER: Keep us ever mindful, heavenly Father, of the grim reality of the suffering and death of our Lord and grant us your grace fully to accept all that our Lord gave and suffered for us in our stead. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:47-56

Rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:13

Anyone who remains so completely unmoved and hard-boiled that the sufferings of Christ do not horrify him and bring him to his senses has cause to be afraid. For it cannot be otherwise. You must become conformed to the image and suffering of Christ, either in this life or in hell. At the very least, you must be terrified in the face of death, tremble and quake, and feel everything that Christ suffered on the cross.

It is a gruesome experience to witness agony on a deathbed. Therefore, you should pray God to soften your heart and permit you to ponder the suffering of Christ fruitfully. It is impossible for us of ourselves to ponder the sufferings of Christ thoroughly unless God Himself implants the resolution in our hearts. Pray God that this contemplation of Christ’s sufferings may not result in any doctrine or teaching which you hurry to accomplish of yourself before you have earnestly sought God’s grace so that you accomplish it by His grace and not of yourself.

Here we see why so many have gone astray in regard to the sufferings of Christ. They do not pray to God for His grace to profit from Christ’s passion, but they try to attain their end in their own strength and by their own methods. They operate in a thoroughly human and unfruitful manner.

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PRAYER: Soften our hearts, O God, by your grace that we may fruitfully ponder the sufferings of Christ and see in them the stripes whereby we are healed, for the sake of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:36-46

He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5

Christ’s passion should help us to a knowledge of self, to be horrified at ourselves, and to bring us to contrition. If this is not the result of Christ’s passion as far as we are concerned, it has not yet achieved its purpose in us. In His passion, Christ placed Himself on an equal footing with us, so that, as He suffered in body and soul in a wretched manner because of our sins, we must also suffer with Him in the knowledge of our sins. This is no matter for many words, but for deep thinking and a proper estimate of our sins.

Consider this illustration! If a criminal was convicted of murdering the child of a prince or a king, and you were quite unconcerned, sang and played as though you were quite innocent until a terrible attack was launched upon you, and it was proved that you had prevailed upon the criminal to commit his crime. The world would become too narrow for you, especially if your conscience left you in the lurch.

You should become much more anxious when you ponder the sufferings of Christ. For although the Jews, the criminals, have come under God’s judgement and have been cast off, they were merely the ministers of your sin. You are really the one who, through your sin, throttled and crucified God’s Son.

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PRAYER: My sin and guilt, Lord Jesus, were no small part of your passion, suffering, and death. Thank you, Lord, for the riches of your grace and mercy and, above all, for your wonderful love to me and all other sinners. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 32:1-7

If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Psalm 130:3,4

David says in the psalm, “I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord;’ then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). No one can stand before God without bringing this confession of sins with him. That is why the psalmist also declares; “If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:3,4).

Anyone who really wants to stand before God must be quite sure that this confession of sins really comes from his heart and firmly believe that, unless the Lord is merciful to him, all is lost, no matter how pious he is in himself. Even all the saints must acknowledge the need of God’s continual grace and mercy and in all humility confess their sins before Him.

There is no difference here, for all have sinned. If anyone has received special grace, thank God for it and do not boast. If anyone has fallen into sin, it simply demonstrates that he is flesh and blood. But no one has fallen so deeply that one who stands may not fall ever deeper. As far as we are concerned, there is no difference between us and others; it is God’s grace alone that divides us from others.

This confession of sin is so necessary that we dare not overlook it for a moment. It must be our concern during our whole life as a Christian. Without ceasing we must evermore praise God’s grace and recognize that all boasting on our part is vain before God.

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PRAYER: Because of your wonderful grace, Lord God, loving heavenly Father, we poor sinners can stand before you, confessing our sins. When we do this, give us the assurance of the forgiveness of sins, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:26-35

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

This life is nothing else but a life of faith, love, and the holy cross. But these three never reach a stage of perfection in us as long as we live here on earth, and no one ever reached perfection in this respect except Christ. He is the Sun and has been given to us and set up for us as an example whom we must imitate.

There are always some to be found in our midst who are weak, others strong, and still others who are stronger. Some can suffer only a little and others much. But we must all continue in the likeness of Christ. For this life follows a course in which we proceed continually from faith to faith, from love to love, from patience to patience, from cross to cross.

It is not a matter of being righteous but of being justified. We have not yet reached our goal; we are all on the path and on the way, but some are further along than others. God is satisfied when He finds us at work with a definite purpose. If He so wills it, He comes quickly and strengthens our faith and love, and He can translate us in a moment from this life into heaven. But as long as we are on this earth, we must bear with each other as Christ bore with us, always remembering also that none of us is ever quite perfect.

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PRAYER: You know all our weaknesses, shortcomings, failures, and sins, heavenly Father. Help us in your means of grace to the improvement and progress which is a characteristic of your children, through Christ Jesus the Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:14-25

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

If we are considering the passion of Christ in the correct way, its immediate effect on us should be a feeling of deep shock and an uneasy conscience. We should be deeply shocked when we see the harsh wrath of God and His unrelenting seriousness in dealing with sin and sinners. He is not prepared to release sinners to His only and dearly beloved Son unless this Son assumes a very heavy penalty on their behalf. He Himself tells us through the prophet that this Son was “stricken for the transgression of my people” (Isaiah 53:8).

What can ever befall the sinner after the most beloved Son has been smitten in this way? There must have been unspeakable and unrelenting seriousness here if it required such an immeasurably great Person to render satisfaction and to suffer and die in this connection.

If you ponder the matter deeply enough and remember that it is God’s own Son, the eternal wisdom of the Father, who is suffering here, you will be shocked, and the deeper you ponder it, the more deeply you will be shocked.

Fix it firmly in your heart and mind and have no doubt at all that it was you who brought all this suffering upon Christ. Your sins were responsible for the sufferings of Christ.

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PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we can only stutter in response to the unspeakable grace and mercy which you have bestowed upon us in the suffering and death of your dearly beloved Son. Accept this stuttering in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:1-13

The next day, he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

In many people, the passion of Christ arouses little more than sympathy. They lament and bemoan the fact that He suffered innocently. A great multitude of women followed Jesus near the end of His public ministry “who bewailed and lamented him.” Jesus tried to set them right when He said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28).

Along these lines, many make rather wide excursions during the passion season. They make a lot of the sad farewell of Jesus from His friends at Bethany, with rather liberal portions of the pains and sorrows of the Virgin, but they hardly get any further than this. In this way, Christ’s passion is inordinately delayed so that God only knows whether it was thought up to put men to sleep rather than to keep them awake. In this same group we must place those who teach that much benefit is derived during the passion season from various holy exercises, fasts, and special devotions.

If we are not reminded of Christ’s sufferings on our behalf in all this, it becomes nothing but an unfruitful work, no matter how good and worthy it may be in itself. What does it help you for God to be God if He is not God for you? What use is there in the healthiness and goodness of eating and drinking if it is not healthy for you? This is exactly the situation in regard to special Lenten exercises when men do not seek the correct benefit from them.

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PRAYER: Dear Lord, instruct our faith so that we always view your passion as a suffering for us and on our behalf, a work of love which you assumed as our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.

LESSON: EPHESIANS 3:7-13

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God. Luke 8:10

What does He mean when He says: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God”? What is a “secret” here? If one cannot know it, why does one preach it?

“Secret” means a hidden, concealed matter which one does not know, and “the secrets of the kingdom of God” are the matters in God’s kingdom which are hidden. Christ, with all the grace He has manifested to us as Paul describes Him, is one of these “secrets.” He who knows Christ aright knows what God’s kingdom is and what it contains.

This is called a “secret” because it is spiritual and concealed and remains so unless the Spirit reveals it. For there are many who see it and hear about it but who do not accept it.

There are many today who preach Christ and hear how He was given for us, but this is often only a matter of the tongue, not of the heart. They do not believe it themselves and have no real experience of it, for as Paul declares, “This unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

So, Christ says here, “To you it has been given,” that is, the Holy Spirit has enabled you not to hear and to see, but to recognize and to believe with your hearts, and, therefore, it is no longer a “secret” for you.

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AE 76,337

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, O heavenly Father, for the revelation of the mystery of your grace in Christ Jesus our Lord which you have made known to us in the Gospel. Establish us in the grace that we may witness to it before our fellowmen, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 31:15-24

O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me, let them bring me to thy holy hill and to thy dwelling! Psalm 43:3

After hearing the Word, large numbers fall away from it and bring no fruit to perfection. We are told this for our learning so that we should not be led into error.

It is certainly unpleasant to preach to those who treat the Word so disgracefully and especially set themselves against the Gospel. For this is preaching which is to become so general that it is to be presented to all creatures, as Christ declares, “Preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15), and as the psalmist puts it, “Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:4).

What if many do despise the Word? It must be that many are called but few are chosen. For the sake of those who are good seed and who bring forth fruit with patience, seed must also fall in vain on the path, on the rock, and among the thorns.

Of one thing we can be sure, and that is that God’s Word never departs without producing fruit. It always finds some good ground, as the Gospel also says here, that some of the sower’s seed fell on good ground and not only on the path, among the thorns, and on the rock. For wherever the Gospel reaches, there are Christians. “My word shall not return to me empty” (Isaiah 55:11).

SL.XI.520,10
AE 76,334

PRAYER: Grant, O Lord, that the saving power of your Gospel may always be a real incentive for us to spread the teachings of the Gospel in word and deed, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 10:34-39

As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bring forth fruit with patience. Luke 8:15

The fourth group are those who grasp the Word and hold on to it with a good heart and bring forth fruit with patience, that is, those who hear the Word and steadfastly hold on to it so that they risk and give up everything for it.

The devil does not succeed in taking the Word from them or mislead them in any way in their connection with the Word. The heat of persecution does not drive them from the Word. The thorns of pleasant living and the greed of this world prove no hindrance to them. They bring forth fruit that they may also teach the Word to others and enlarge the kingdom of God. They also do good to their neighbor in accordance with the Word. Hence, Christ says here that they “bring forth fruit with patience.”

They certainly also suffer much for the sake of the Word: insults and shameful treatment from the factionaries and heretics; hatred, jealousy, injury to body and property from the persecutors, in addition to what the thorns and their own temptations of the flesh cause.

The Word is well called the Word of the cross, for he who would keep it must bear and overcome cross and misfortune with patience.

SL.XI.519,7
AE 76,333

PRAYER: You have often reminded us, Lord Jesus, that as your disciples we will have to bear a cross. Pour your grace and strength upon us that this cross may never crush us but draw us ever closer to your cross and ultimate victory. Amen.

LESSON: EPHESIANS 4:25-32

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Private or auricular confession has become established in the church without any direct command in the Word of God. In enforcing this upon all members of the Church, the leaders of the Church have at times imposed heavy burdens on the consciences of men and caused much spiritual harm.

No one should be forced or compelled to private confession, and no man should be prevented from confessing his sins privately, if he so desires. If you confess your sins privately because you have been forced into it by threats or routine procedures, this cannot possibly be pleasing to God.

If you cannot practice private confession of your own free will and without compulsion, you are better off without it. If you do this in compliance with regulations or any other human directions, you are not acting correctly. The whole world flocks to this confession during Easter week because it has been commanded under various ecclesiastical penalties. This week would be more correctly called a week of ordeals and torments in which the conscience of men is plagued and tormented, with much spiritual damage and ruin resulting, and in which Christ Himself is plagued and tormented much more disgracefully than when He hung upon the cross.

We should raise our hands in thankfulness to God that He has enlightened us in this connection. For although the fruits of our faith may be limited, and we are still far from perfect, we have nevertheless received a correct understanding of matters. It is much better for us to stay away from confession and the Sacrament than to be forced to take part in them under compulsion and threats.

SL.XI.585,7
AE 76,435

PRAYER: O God, our heavenly Father, help us to stand fast at all times in the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free, so that we always act in your presence as free men redeemed by the blood of Christ. Amen.

LESSON: 1 THESSALONIANS 2:13-16

When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” Matthew 8:10

The words of Jesus to the centurion have caused no end of trouble to the commentators. They have raised the question whether Jesus really told the truth in these words. On the basis of these words, one would have to infer that the mother of Jesus and His apostles were inferior to this centurion.

I would like to point out here that Christ is speaking of the people of Israel to whom He had preached and to whom He had come, and that His mother and apostles are really excluded because they were normally a part of His company. Nevertheless I will still stick quite simply to the words of the Lord and take them just as they read.

It is not contrary to any article of the faith to believe that the faith of this centurion did not have any parallel among the apostles or even in the faith of God’s mother. Where Christ’s words do not conflict openly with an article of faith, we must allow them to stand just as they read, and not twist them or guide them by our expositions and interpretations, not even for the sake of a saint, or an angel, or even for God’s own sake. For God’s Word is the very truth above all saints and angels.

SL.XI.483,13

AE 76,254

PRAYER: Your Word, O God, is the truth and the whole truth. Grant us, at all times, such a faith that we trust you fully in your Word and derive from it the full confidence of salvation in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 6:5-15

Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. Matthew 8:2

This modest prayer of the leper must not be understood as an expression of doubt in Christ’s goodness and grace. For such a faith would be quite worthless, even if he did believe that Christ was almighty and able to do all things in His omniscience. A living faith which does not doubt also believes that God is good and that He has the gracious will to perform what we pray for. Faith never doubts that God in His good will is always favorably inclined towards us, that His intentions and purposes for us are always good.

We do not always know, however, whether our welfare will really be promoted by what we ask in our prayers. God alone knows this. The prayer of faith leaves everything to God’s gracious will, requesting that He grant our petition if it will serve His honor and our real need. The prayer of faith never doubts that God will hear our prayer. If God does not answer the prayer, faith believes that God did not answer because of His grace towards us, and because He deemed it better for us to leave the prayer unanswered.

In all this, our faith in God’s good and gracious will remains sure and steadfast, whether He answers our prayer or not. Paul reminds us of this when he says that we know not what or how we should pray (Romans 8:26). Likewise, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer for His will to be done.

SL.XI.482,11-12

AE 76,254

PRAYER: Bestow your grace upon us, O Lord, that we always have the confidence to bring all our needs before you in prayer and supplication and, at the same time, have the assurance that you will hear and answer our prayer according to your will. Amen.

LESSON; COLOSSIANS 3:12-17

Only say the word, and my servant will be healed. Matthew 8:8

We learn from the example of the centurion at Capernaum that we must begin with the Gospel and put our whole faith and trust in it without looking to any merits or works. The centurion makes no appeal to any merit or work; he reposes his whole confidence in Christ’s goodness alone. Here we see how all the works of Christ set forth examples of what the Gospel means in terms of faith and love.

We have here an example of Christ’s love in bestowing His blessing freely without any requests and gifts. The centurion also gives us an example of love in the concern which he shows for his servant. He acted as Christ acts in receiving us; he does good to his servant freely and for the servant’s good. Luke says that the servant “was dear to him.” Luke 7:2.

His love for his servant impelled him to concern himself for the servant’s welfare and prompted his action. Let us follow this example and not deceive ourselves into thinking that in the possession of the Gospel we do not have to concern ourselves with the needs of our neighbor.

SL.XI.482,9-10

AE 76, 253

PRAYER: Give us, O Lord, the faith which is always active in love towards our neighbor, after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ in His work of salvation for us. Amen.

LESSON: 1 JOHN 3:11-18

No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:12

I have often remarked how faith makes us free lords and love makes us slaves. Through faith we become gods and partakers of the nature and name of God as the psalmist declares, “I say, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.’” Psalm 82:6. Through love we become at the same time the poorest of men.

By faith we are in need of nothing and always have full supply; in love we are the servants of all men. By faith we receive good things from above, from God; in love we let them flow out below to our neighbor.

With us it is something like it was with Christ during His earthly ministry. According to His godhead He lacked nothing; but according to His humanity He was the servant of all who needed His help.

We have often said that we also through faith are born as God’s children and gods, lords and kings, just as Christ in eternity was born true God from the Father. Nevertheless, through love we are to do good to our neighbor, just as Christ was born a man to help us all. Just as Christ became man only to serve us after being God in eternity, we also do good to our neighbor and show him our love only after we have become righteous, free from sin, living and blessed children of God.

SL.XI.481,7

AE 76,252

PRAYER: By faith in Christ you have made us free lords and kinds, O God, thus conferring upon us all the spiritual blessings we need for our salvation. Grant us your grace, that in the power and strength of all this we may prove our faith in love and service to our neighbor. Amen.

LESSON: GALATIANS 2:11-16

We hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law. Romans 3:28

You see how the example of the leper (Matthew 8:1-4) supports faith against works. For, just as Christ helped this leper out of pure grace through faith without any works or merits on his part, so He helps all men. He also wants men to regard Him as such a helper, and to expect help from Him on this basis.

Had the leper come to Christ with all sorts of claims declaring, “See here, Lord, I have prayed and fasted so and so much. Please take note of all this, and make me clean accordingly,” Christ would never have cleansed him had he been so minded. Such a person does not rely on God’s grace, but on his own merits. In such a case, God’s grace is not praised, loved or desired, but personal works claim all the honor, and God is robbed of His due honor. As Isaiah declares, “They bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made,” Isaiah 2:8, that is, they put their confidence in their own works, and confer on their own works the honor belonging to God’s grace alone.

SL.XI.480,5

AE 76,252

PRAYER: Lord, preserve us from that presumption which urges us to trust in our own works to the rejection of the grace, help and salvation which you are always ready and willing to bestow on us freely in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: GALATIANS 1:6-9

Continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard. Colossians 1:23

The Gospel is the beginning, middle, and end of all that is good, and our one source of salvation. We have stated repeatedly that first of all one must hear the Gospel, and then faith, love, and good works follow. We must not put good works first, turning the whole matter back to front, as the teachers of work-righteousness do.

The Gospel is a good report, discourse, and proclamation of Christ, announcing that He is nothing else but pure goodness, love, and grace. Such a report could not possibly be made concerning any other human being, or any of the saints. For, although the other saints were men of quite good repute, a report on them does not constitute the Gospel as such. It is Gospel only when the goodness and grace of Christ are proclaimed. Even though mention is made of famous saints and their doings, this does not make the report the Gospel. The Gospel bases Christian faith and confidence solely on the rock, Jesus Christ.

SL.XI.480,4

AE 76,252

PRAYER: We praise and thank you, loving heavenly Father, for the clear revelation of the good news of salvation in the Gospel of you Son, and for the faith, trust, and confidence which you have given us in connection with this Gospel, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 8:1-13

A leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Matthew 8:2

See how the faith of the leper manifests itself. He is under no delusions at all. All that he desires and hopes to obtain is the pure goodness and grace of Christ, freely and without any merit at all on his part. We cannot claim here that the leper earned the privilege of drawing close to Christ and speaking to Him, begging His help. He comes to Christ because he is conscious of his impurity and worthiness, and he places all his reliance on Christ’s goodness.

This is true faith, living confidence in God’s goodness. If this confidence is in a man’s heart, his faith is right; if this confidence is not in a man’s heart, faith is wrong. All who do not keep the pure goodness of God in sight, and who always look first of all to their good works in the hope of meriting God’s favor and goodness for themselves, have this wrong faith. Such people never have the boldness to invoke God with real earnestness or to approach Him.

This confidence or faith, or the knowledge of the goodness of Christ, would never have developed in the leper as the fruit of his own rational understanding. In all probability he had received a good report of Christ beforehand to the effect that Christ is good, gracious, and merciful, ready to help all men and to supply comfort and consolation for all who come to Him.

SL.XI.478,2-3

AE 76,251

PRAYER: Thanks be to you, O Lord, for the examples you have given us in your holy Gospel encouraging us to come to you at all times, in all our needs, with the assurance of your grace and help. Amen.

LESSON: MARK 8:31-35

Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me?” John 2:4

We should note here that Jesus adopts a harsh attitude to His mother not only to give us an example of faith, but also to remind us that in the affairs of God and in His service we do not know father or mother.

Although there is no authority on earth greater than the authority of father and mother, it is of no avail, when it is a matter of God’s Word and work. In the affairs of God neither father, mother, bishop, nor any other man is to lead and teach us. The Word of God alone must do this.

Where father and mother order, teach, or even request you to do something against God, or to observe something in worship that God has not clearly commanded and ordered, you should say to them, “What have you to do with me? What is there for you and me to do in common?”

Christ here simply refuses to do the work of God at the wishes of His own mother.

SL.XI.471,19

AE 76,245

PRAYER: You have shown us in many clear passages of your Word, O Lord, that as your children we must always obey God rather than men [Acts 5:29]. Strengthen our faith at all times, O Lord, so that we always have the courage to do this in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 8:31-39

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him. Romans 8:28

The most important lesson in this Gospel (John 2:1-11), and what we should especially note here, is that we should accord God the honor of being good and gracious, even though He seems to have shown Himself in quite a different light. Sense and feeling must be disciplined in us, and the old Adam put down, so that true faith in God’s goodness, and not feeling, remains in us.

Here you see how a pure faith remains in Christ’s mother and is held up before us as an example. She is sure that He will be gracious, even though she does not feel it. She is also sure that she feels otherwise than she believes. So she leaves the whole matter completely to His goodness.

She does not set up any time or place, any method or measure, any person or name. He must do just as He pleases. If it is not done in the middle of the meal, let it be done at the end of the meal. She keeps the rebuff to herself. She does not reproach Him for His disdainful conduct before all the guests, for His ungracious attitude which made her blush. He appears to be sour, but He is sweet. Of this Mary is quite sure. And if we act in this way under such conditions we are true Christians.

SL.XI.471,18

AE 76,245

PRAYER: Lord, you know that we sometimes experience conditions in which we see only as through a glass darkly, when we do not immediately recognize your guiding hand and goodwill toward us. Grant us your grace so that we always firmly believe that even in such situations all things must work together for our good. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 12:1-4

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love. Galatians 5:6

There is a real conflict for faith in this Gospel (John 2:1-11). We should therefore pay close attention to what Christ’s mother, Mary, does, and also to what she teaches us. How hard His words sound, and what an unfriendly attitude He seems to adopt! But she interprets everything in her heart in such a way that she does not even think of any wrath in Him, or anything that might conflict with His goodness, but remains firm in the conviction that He is good. She will not allow this opinion to be taken from her by the rebuff she has suffered, on the basis of which she might well have imputed disgraceful conduct to Him in her heart, and not regarded Him as good and gracious.

That is what those do who lack faith and fall away at the first blow and hold no more to God. They feel like horses and mules do, to whom the psalmist refers when he says, “Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not keep with you.” Psalm 32:9.

If this mother had allowed herself to be scared off by these hard words, she would have gone away quietly in annoyance. In telling the servants to do whatever He commanded, she proves that she has overcome the rebuff and that she is awaiting nothing but sheer goodness from Him.

SL.XI.470,16

AE 76, 243

PRAYER: We thank you, God, for all the examples of triumphant faith which you have given us for our learning and instruction in your holy Word, like the example of Mary, Christ’s mother. As her faith in you never wavered, so may we at all times trust in your goodness and mercy in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 14:5-12

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

The reason why excess is so frequent among men is that they do not just eat and drink, but gorge themselves and guzzle, carouse and gormandize, and behave as though it were a mark of cleverness or strength to gorge and guzzle. Their objective is not to become joyful, but to become mad and to be full. These people are pigs, not human beings. Christ would not have given such people wine or accepted their invitation.

In their adornment, also, such people have no consideration for a wedding but to show themselves off, and to prance around as though the strongest are the best. They are loaded with gold, silver, and pearls, and do their best to wear as much silk and fine clothes as possible. Donkeys and blockheads could easily do the same.

How, then, is moderation to be determined? Reason should be our pride here. We should follow the example of other lands and cities where such excess is not the order of the day. Each one according to his estate! So also with food and drink and other similar matters. Is it sin to have music and dance at a wedding, seeing that it is claimed that there is much sin in connection with dancing? I do not know whether the Jews danced; but because it is customary among us, just as inviting guests, adornment, eating, and being joyful is customary, I cannot condemn dancing if it does not involve any excess or become lewd. If it involves sin, it is not the fault of the dancing itself. People can sin sitting at table or even in church! So also with eating and drinking. If dancing were sinful, it would have to be denied even to children.

SL.XI.467,9

AE 76, 241

PRAYER: As your children in Christ Jesus, O Lord, you have given us all things for our happiness and enjoyment. In this connection grant us the moderation and a sense of what is fitting and proper, so that our lives may always be happy and joyful in all good conscience. Amen.

LESSON: GALATIANS 5:22-25

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

God is not concerned about external matters like a marriage, provided that faith and love remain and, as has been stated, moderation is practiced, as is fitting for every estate. For the marriage at Cana, although it was a poor and lowly affair, still had three tables. This is clear from the mention of the “steward of the feast,” who usually had charge of three tables. The bridegroom did not attend to these but had his servants. They also had wine to drink.

All this could well have been dispensed with on considerations of poverty, as happens also among us. The guests here at Cana, moreover, did not just allay their thirst with the wine, for the steward of the feast remarks that the good wine should be served first and afterwards “when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine.” John 2:10.

Christ lets all this pass, and we should also let it pass and not cause men conscientious scruples on this score. They were not children of the devil, even if some of them exceeded the needs of quenching their thirst and became merry. Otherwise you will have to reckon it as a fault in Christ that He was the cause of this with His gift, and also His mother who requested it. Eventually we will reach the position that both Christ and His mother were sinners here if the saints who can only see what is sour are to judge the matter.

SL.XI.466,8

AE 76, 241

PRAYER: Preserve us from a judgmental spirit, O God, which sees nothing but sin in what our fellowmen are doing, and overlooks the fact that your children are not only permitted to rejoice, but commanded to rejoice in Christ their Savior. Amen.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 1:9-14

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exalt in my God. Isaiah 61:10

In this Gospel (John 2:1-11) Christ makes it quite clear that He finds no fault with providing expenses for a wedding and all that is needed for a wedding, adornment and merry-making, eating and drinking, as the usage and custom of the land require.

It is true that this seems to be excess and wasted expenditure and a worldly matter. Suitable moderation must be observed here, without completely destroying the wedding celebrations. The bride and bridegroom must be suitably adorned, and the guests must eat and drink and be joyful. Provisions may be supplied and usual procedures followed with a good conscience.

Scripture often refers to these matters with approval. Mention is made in the Gospels of the bride’s adornment, the marriage garment, the guests, and the good fare at the wedding. Even the Old Testament sets forth examples with approval. Abraham’s servant gave Rebekah, Isaac’s bride, jewelry of silver and of gold as well as raiment (Genesis 24:53).

We should never pay too much attention to the hypocrites and self-made saints with their sour looks who are pleased with nothing except what they themselves teach, and will not even suffer a bride to wear a garland or any other adornment.

SL.XI.466,7

AE 76, 240

PRAYER: O Lord, we thank and praise you for all the joys and pleasures which you have given us to make us happy here on earth. We pray for your grace to enable us to enjoy these things, following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 2:1-11

On the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. John 2:1,2

It was a great honor for Jesus to make His gift of wine at this lowly marriage feast by means of a great miracle. Hereby Jesus became the bride’s most important donor. In any case, He may not have had any money for precious gems to give her as a gift. Such an honor Jesus never accorded to any of the Pharisees. In this way He confirms marriage as a work and ordinance of God. No matter how despised it is, or regarded as insignificant by men in general, God nevertheless recognizes His work and is pleased with it.

Because the estate of holy matrimony can rest on the comforting fact that God has established it and is pleased with it, and because Christ Himself honors it for our consolation, all men should really be pleased with it. They should regard it as an honorable estate and be very favorably inclined to it, being sure that God is well pleased with it.

They should also be ready joyfully to endure everything that is difficult in this estate, even if matters sometimes seem worse than they actually are. It is an estate which practices and cultivates faith in God and love towards one’s neighbor by means of trouble and toil, unpleasantness, the cross, and disagreeableness of all kinds. All these are not uncommon experiences where God’s Word and work are taken seriously.

SL.XI.464,3-4

AE 76, 238

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, in many ways and places you have taught us that holy matrimony is an estate well-pleasing to you and to be honored by all men. Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus, for the striking way you honored this holy estate at the wedding in Cana, giving us strong encouragement to follow your holy example in this respect. Amen.

LESSON: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:13-17

Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

In this Gospel (Luke 2:41-52) we are given the consolation that, whenever suffering becomes our portion, we should realize that we will not be able to find any other consolation except in the Scriptures, the Word of God. God has set it down in writing that we should learn, as Paul says, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4.

Here he states that the Scriptures are comforting and give patience and consolation. There is nothing else that comforts the soul more, even in the slightest temptations. For anything else whereby a man seeks consolation for himself, however great it may be, is quite uncertain. For the heart always has the nagging feeling: “Who knows whether it is right? O that I could be quite sure!” When the heart clings to God’s Word, it can say without any wavering: “This is God’s Word; it cannot lie to me or mislead me. Of that I am certain.”

The greatest struggle in which we must engage is to keep the Word and remain steadfast in it. If this Word is torn from a man’s heart, he is lost.

SL.XI.441,29

PRAYER: Grant us steadfastness of faith, O Lord, so that the precious Word of salvation which you have made known to us in Christ, our Savior, may never be torn from our hearts, and that we may continue in it until all our hopes are fully realized in Christ. Amen

LESSON: ROMANS 3:21-26

He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7

We should never place our confidence in the doctrine of men and the holy fathers. God has given us many examples to teach us not to build on men or to put our confidence in men.

Even the saints make mistakes. We read that, something like eighteen years after the ascension of Christ (Acts 15), the apostles and the group of those who were Christian came together in Jerusalem. The question to be decided was: Should one compel the Gentiles coming into the church to be circumcised? Some of the leaders of the party of the Pharisees who had become believers came forward and said that the Gentiles should be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses. Much strife ensued and many were in danger of accepting this viewpoint.

Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James opposed this suggestion. Peter in particular said: God has given His Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, who received the Gospel by my mouth, just as He did to us, and made no difference between them and us but cleansed their hearts by faith. If then, they received the Holy Spirit without being circumcised, why do you want to bind them in addition and impose a yoke on their necks which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? We believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as they will. Acts 15:7-11

SL.XI.439,23

AE 76, 206

PRAYER: We thank you, Lord, for the gift of full and free justification in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Grant us at all times fully to understand and appreciate all that you have done for us in your Son. Keep us always fully reliant on your grace in Christ, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 8:31-33

Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. John 17:17

This Gospel (Luke 2:41-52) is a very telling blow against all doctrine and consolation and whatever else might be named that is not the Word of God and does not flow from the Word.

You can now say: I don’t care what happens; exalt reason and the light of nature as high as you want to, I still reserve my right not to entrust myself to it. I grant that councils and pope have made decisions, and that the holy fathers have taught in accordance with their will, but I do not rely on such decisions. If they grant me this, we will soon be one. I will retain my freedom and they can decide and set up whatever they will, but let me say, “If it pleases me, I accept it; but I do not accept it as though I were doing something precious thereby.”

They will not grant this, for it will never satisfy them that such procedure should be a matter of freedom. They always look for the addition that one should rest one’s confidence on these decisions and derive consolation from them just as though one were trusting Christ and the Holy Spirit in this whole matter. We must never abide this false delusion and confidence which they try to inculcate, namely, that it is a good work to accept their decisions and a sin to reject them.

SL.XI.437,21

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, dear Father in heaven, for giving us the precious gift of your holy Word, in which you have revealed all that a man should know for his salvation in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 119:97-104

And he said to them, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? Luke 2:49

I have often said, and I say it again, that nothing should be preached in Christendom but the pure Word of God. This Gospel (Luke 2:41-52), in stating that they could not find Jesus “among their kinsfolk and acquaintances,” also reminds us of this.

It is no good saying that one must believe what the church councils have decided, or what Jerome, Augustine, and other holy fathers have written. One must point to a definite place where Christ can be found and none other, namely, the place which He Himself indicates when He says, “I must be in my Father’s house.” One will find Him nowhere else than in God’s Word.

One should not receive what the holy fathers teach in such a way that one trusts it with one’s whole conscience and seeks comfort in it. If someone therefore asks you, “Shall I not trust the holy fathers?”, you can answer: Christ did not suffer Himself to be found among His kinsfolk and acquaintances.

It would be a good thing for us Christians to take good note of this example from this Gospel and make a kind of proverb out of it to be used against all doctrine which is not God’s Word.

SL.XI.435,15

AE 76, 199

PRAYER: Your Word, O Lord, is the rock of our salvation because it points us to Christ our one and only Savior. We thank you, Lord, for all the comfort and consolation in Jesus Christ, which you have so freely conferred upon us through your Word. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 94:12-15

My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him who he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. Hebrews 12:5,6

Trials, chastenings, and temptations come upon us so that our faith may be exercised and become stronger and stronger. God especially arranges matters in this way to preserve His children from the kinds of misfortune which might otherwise come upon us.

When men become boldly confident and very strong in spirit they could eventually have such confidence in themselves that they think they are capable of accomplishing everything in their own strength and power. God sometimes allows their faith to be found wanting, and to suffer an eclipse, so that they may realize who they are and say, “Even if I want to believe, I cannot.” In this way God humbles His saints and holds them to their own knowledge.

Nature and reason are always keen on falling upon God’s gifts and clinging to them as though they were attainable by man’s own abilities. God must deal with us in such a way that we realize that He must put faith into our hearts. We have no way of influencing Him to do this.

Fear of God and confidence in God must always be closely related for us. Both of these relationships must remain decisive for our lives, so that a man does not become presumptuous and too secure, and eventually come to rely upon himself. This is one reason why God allows temptations to come upon His saints.

SL.XI.433,9

AE 76,

PRAYER: Lord God, our loving, heavenly Father, we know that all things, even trials and temptations, work together for our good. Bring us safely through all trials and temptations, thus strengthening our faith as your children in and through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: JAMES 1:12-15

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair. 2 Corinthians 4:8

When God has given us a fine, strong faith so that we go forth in firm confidence, and are quite sure and certain that we have a gracious God on whom we can fully rely, we are in paradise. But when God suffers our heart to slip away from us, so that we come to think that God wants to tear the Lord Jesus from our hearts, and our conscience feels that we have lost Him, and then flounders and loses courage, so that our confidence sinks, the result is wretched distress.

Even if our conscience cannot recall any particular sins it is still in such wretched condition that it thinks, “Who knows if God really wants me?” just as Mary begins to have her doubts (Luke 2:41-51), so that she no longer knows whether God still wants her as a mother. When the heart receives such blows it is inclined to say, “It is true that hitherto God has given you a fine faith; but perhaps He wants to take your faith from you and no longer have you.” It requires a strong faith to withstand such knocks, and there are not many whom God assails in this way. But we must prepare ourselves so that we do not despair if this should happen to us.

SL.XI.432,7

AE 76,

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, strengthen our faith through your Word and Sacraments, that we may successfully overcome all trials and temptations we may meet in life, and stand firm and steadfast in the confidence that we are always more than conquerors in and through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 2:41-52

When they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, you father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” Luke 2:48

Although the holy mother Mary who was blessed (Luke 1:42) and highly-favored with all kinds of grace (Luke 1:28) without a doubt found the greatest of happiness and joy in her child, the Lord still governed her in such a way that she should not have her paradise in Him and reserve it for her future life, as He does also in the case of others. And so on earth she also had to suffer her share of misfortune, pain, and sorrow.

The first distress that came upon her was that she had to give birth at Bethlehem, a strange place, in which there was no room for herself and her child except in a stable. Soon after this, when the time of her purification was past (Luke 2:22), she had to flee with her child into a foreign country, into Egypt, a small comfort for her under the circumstances. She probably experienced many blows of the same kind which have not been recorded.

Here, too, the Lord laid a similar misfortune upon her when her Son stole off into the temple and she had to search for Him for so long without finding Him. This gave her a terrible shock and grieved her so much that she exclaimed: “Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” We can well imagine that her heart was ready to admit, “The child is mine alone, as I well know. God gave Him to me with instructions that I should look after Him. How has it come to pass that I have lost Him? It is my fault for failing to look after Him well enough.”

SL.XI.430,2-3

AE 76,192

PRAYER: O Lord, you have clearly told us in your Word that you chasten all whom you love for the betterment and well-being. You did not even spare your handmaiden, Mary. Let us not despair when your chastening comes upon us, but open the eyes of our faith so that we may also readily see “the way of escape” [1 Corinthians 10:13] that we may be able to bear it. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 97

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

When the Sacrament is used properly, the conscience is not tormented, but comforted and lightened by the joy of faith. For God did not give us the Sacrament as a poison or an instrument of torture, so that one should be terrified by it. This is what happened to us when we were taught the very unskilled doctrine that in the mass we offered our own piety as a sacrifice to God, and lost the real meaning of the Sacrament, namely, that it contained for us words of comfort and salvation, to strengthen our conscience, to refresh us, to make us joyful and to free us from all misfortunes.

This is how one should regard the Sacrament, a source of the sweetest grace, consolation, and life. It is poison and death for those who rush into it in a brazen manner, without feeling any kind of weakness, shortcoming, or need which should impel them to seek the Sacrament, and who act as though they were previously quite pure and pious The Sacrament is for those who recognize their shortcomings and failings, who know in themselves that they are far from perfect piety, but who have the keen desire to improve.

So much depends here on the recognition of our real condition and our real needs, for we are all subject to weaknesses and are sinners, but we do not all confess this. This is enough about preparation for the Sacrament and strengthening our faith through the words of the Sacrament, that we here receive Christ’s body and blood, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. Through these words the benefit, fruit, and practice of the Sacrament are adequately indicated and expressed, as far as we are to make use of it for ourselves.

SL.XI.595,22-23

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, refresh us, strengthen us in body and soul, and make us really joyful Christians in the use of your Holy Supper, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 2:1-12

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1 

The admonition to “arise” is without doubt spoken to one who has not arisen, that is, to one who is lying asleep, or is dead. I think St. Paul had this passage in mind when he said in Ephesians, “It is said, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.’” Ephesians 5:14.

Without doubt Christ is the “light” of which Isaiah speaks here, the light which through the Gospel shines forth throughout the whole world and gives light to all men who arise and desire Him. 

But who are these sleepers and dead men? Without a doubt they are all those who are in subjection under the Law, for they are all dead through sin. They also include those who are dead, who disregard the Law and live a free life without the restraints of the Law. 

The work-righteous are the sleepers who do not feel any shortcomings at all. Neither of these two groups pays much attention to the Gospel. They keep on in their sleep and a life which is nothing but death. The Spirit must awaken them so that they see and recognize the light. 

There is a third group who feel the Law biting their conscience; they also long for grace and sigh for the Gospel; they also see to it that the Gospel comes and is given to men; they proclaim it, like Isaiah, to awake the sleepers and those who are dead so that they may accept the light. 

SL.XII.288,4-5
AE 76,71

PRAYER: Shine in our hearts, O Lord, with true Epiphany light, that we, through this light, may at all times be a true light in this world to all our fellowmen. Amen. 

LESSON: HEBREWS 9:11-14

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Concentrate on the great treasure in the Sacrament, the forgiveness of sins, and have nothing to do with the tomfoolery of the schools of theology and their preoccupation with all kinds of curious questions in efforts to explain how Christ’s body is in the Sacrament and how He hides Himself under such a restricted form.

You must prepare yourself so that the words of the Sacrament really have their intended effect upon you. This takes place when you feel the bite of sin and your conscience troubles you with temptation from your flesh, the world, and the devil. You may be subject to bouts of anger and impatience; covetousness and the cares of this life may assail you. Offenses continually cross your path and at times you even fall in a rather gross manner, doing harm to the welfare of your soul.

You also experience how you are nothing more than a poor, wretched, human being whom death terrifies; you become despondent and all joy disappears. On such occasions it is high time for you to come before God with an open confession of your needs saying, “Dear Lord, you have instituted the Sacrament of your body and blood and left it to us as testament in which we may find the forgiveness of sins. I know full well that I need this Sacrament. I have fallen into sin, and I have my fears; there are even times when hopes are rather dim. I am not at all bold in the confession of your Word, and there are always so many besetting weaknesses. So I now approach your throne of grace in the Sacrament looking for healing, consolation, and strengthening.”

SL.XI.594,20

PRAYER: You have given us many invitations to come to you in all our needs, dear heavenly Father. Strengthen us especially when we turn to you in repentance, and seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of the body and blood of your Son our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 10:19‒25

The blood of Jesus His [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

We must take hold of Christ’s words in the Sacrament and be quite sure that we understand them. For the whole power and might of the Sacrament depends on these words. We must all know them, understand them, and cling to them in firm faith so that we may defend ourselves with them and, when the need arises, repulse our enemies with them. Hence, if you want to partake of the Sacrament, heed these words and be quite sure that they contain the treasure on which you are to take your stand and place your reliance, for they are spoken to you individually. 

Jesus speaks of His body which is given and His blood which is shed (Matthew 26:26, 28). Why does He speak in this way? That you should do nothing but eat and drink here? No! Note very carefully how He adds: “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). This is the point which really concerns you. Everything else that is done and spoken in this connection is calculated to emphasize the central fact that your sins are forgiven you in this Sacrament. 

If the Sacrament is to serve you in regard to the forgiveness of sins, it must also help to conquer death. For where sin is wiped out, death is also wiped out, and hell as well. Where these three foes are vanquished, all our misfortunes are removed, and nothing but salvation and eternal blessedness remains for us.

SL.XI.594,19

PRAYER: O Lord, may Your body and blood given and shed for us on the cross, and now offered to us in the holy Sacrament, always be a pledge and seal of the forgiveness of sins, for Your name’s sake. Amen. 

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23‒25

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16

Christ’s words of institution in the Lord’s Supper cannot be denied by man or the devil. On these words we must take our stand. No matter what explanations are added to them, we have here a clear word of God which declares that the bread is Christ’s body given for us, and the cup His blood shed for us. We are also told to celebrate the Sacrament in remembrance of Christ. 

There was a time when the clergy forbade the laity to interpret the Word of God, and even denied them the right and ability to do so. But the laity have the same God and the same Word of God as the clergy. When it comes to the things that are to be believed, the layman has only one course to follow—to take his stand on the clear Word of God, to defend his faith with the clear Word of God, and to refute all doctrine that is contrary to God’s Word with the clear Word of God. Every layman has the right to interpret the Word of God for himself, and to hold fast to the clear Word of God against all gainsayers. 

In the words of institution, the evangelist says that Jesus took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to His disciples saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27‒28). So we say: Unless we can be taught that drinking here means something quite different from what it has meant everywhere else in the world, we stick to the opinion that all should drink of the cup in the Sacrament, just as all should eat of the bread.

SL.XI.592,17

PRAYER: We thank You, O God, for the clarity with which You have revealed Your plan of salvation to us and also for the simple language in which You have taught us that the Holy Supper is one of Your chief means of grace. Continue to bless us and strengthen our faith through Your means of grace, for Christ’s sake. Amen. 

LESSON: ROMANS 5:15-17

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

He who does not have the faith which believes that Christ with His every blessing is his very own, does not have true faith, and is not a Christian. His heart also cannot be truly joyful and happy. For true faith will make Christians joyful and happy, sure and blessed, as God’s dear children in whom the Holy Spirit also dwells. What a lovely, bright and precious garment this is, to which is attached the most costly adornment, jewels, and gems, every kind of virtue, grace, wisdom, truth, righteousness, and whatever else there is in Christ. Little wonder that Paul exclaims, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15

St. Peter joins him when he speaks of “his precious and very great promises.” 2 Peter 1:4. This is Joseph’s many-colored robe which his father made for him in preference to all his other children (Genesis 37:3), for Christ alone is full of grace and truth. This is likewise the special garment of the high priest Aaron in which he served God and on which we could say a great deal.

Just as we put on Christ and receive Him as our own, so He also puts us on and receives us to Himself with all that is ours, as though we were His own possession. He finds nothing good in us because we are full of sins. These He takes upon Himself and drives them from us.

SL.XII.267,55
AE 76,21

PRAYER: O Lord, bless us richly in and through your Word, that our hearts may be filled with real joy and happiness and become the dwelling of your Holy Spirit, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: EPHESIANS 1:11-14

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30

It is quite certain that Christ has been given to us so that all His righteousness, and also all that He has and is, stands before us as though He is our very own possession. He who believes this will also experience, it, just as St. Paul said, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” Romans 8:32. Likewise, in the Epistle to the Corinthians, “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30.

So, you see, he who believes in Christ in this way, puts Him on. Faith, therefore, is such an important matter that it saves such a man and justifies him; for faith brings him all the blessing of Christ on which the conscience can comfort itself and rely.

Such a man also becomes joyful in Christ, and happy to do all good and avoid what is evil. He fears neither death nor hell, nor any evil, and is richly clothed in Christ.

Hereby a full satisfaction is also rendered to the Law, and such a man is never under the subjection of the Law. For he has also received the Holy Spirit with the garment in his soul: he is clothed with God’s adoption and so he is God’s child.

SL.XII.266,53
AE 76,20

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, O God, for the fullness and riches of your mercy and grace in Christ, and not least for the earnest of your Spirit in my soul, assuring me that I am, indeed, your beloved child. Amen.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17

Put on Christ. Galatians 3:27

What is meant by “putting on Christ”? The unbelievers have a ready answer here. They say it means following Christ and measuring up to His example. But in this way I could also put on St. Peter, Paul, and other saints, and putting on Christ would have no special significance at all. Therefore we let faith speak here, which Paul delightfully describes under the idea of “putting on.”

It is obvious that those baptized have not previously followed Christ, but begin to follow Christ in baptism. Therefore Christ must be “put on” before one follows Him. “Putting on Christ” must be something quite different from following Him.

“Putting on Christ” is a spiritual matter. It comes to pass when the soul puts on Christ and all His righteousness, takes confidence in and relies upon that righteousness. This is just as though the soul itself had achieved all this and merited it. It is just like a man putting on his clothes. Such a putting on of Christ is a spiritual matter.

SL.XII.266,52
AE 76,20

PRAYER: We thank you, Lord, for your wonderful means of grace, and especially that you accepted us as your dear children in baptism, in which we have put on Christ and all that He is and means to us as our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 6:1-4

Now before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:23-27

The Apostle Paul observes an excellent flow of thought in this context. He says, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian.” Why so? “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” How does it come to pass that we become God’s children? “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Christ is God’s child. Therefore, he who clothes himself in God’s child, is also God’s child, for he steps forth as God’s adopted child, which certainly makes him God’s child. If he is God’s child, he is not under the subjection of the Law, in the position of an abject slave, but free. When we put on Christ in baptism His righteousness becomes our righteousness, and thus all the claims that the Law can make on us are fulfilled, and we are now God’s free children in Christ.

SL.XII.265,51
AE 76,15

PRAYER: In your mercy and peace, O Lord, you have freed us from the curse of the Law and made us your free children in Christ. For this we praise and thank you, and ask your grace so that we may always serve you in the freedom wherewith you have made us free. Amen.

LESSON: GALATIANS 3:23-29
In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Galatians 3:26

The reason why St. Paul always stresses the need of faith in Christ is because he knew that men would have the presumption actually to suggest that man can have dealings with God outside of Christ, just as if God and our human nature were quite good friends, and as though righteousness were quite fond of sin and gave ear to the promptings of sin. Therefore, let us be wise and recognize Christ aright, namely, that before all else we should hear the Gospel and believe.

Christ is set forth in the Gospel not just for His sake, as an exalted character, but because He is the man who took the place of our sinful nature, loaded Himself with the whole wrath of God, that wrath which we merited despite all our works, and rendered it satisfaction. All who believe that they have this in and from Him will certainly be saved through Him from the same wrath of God, and obtain His grace.

From this we should learn what great need we have of Christ, and of what great use He is to us. Moreover, the idea that a man can do all this for himself, and that God’s grace is given him by his natural powers, is a lie of the devil himself. For if nature can obtain grace there is no need of Christ as a substitute and a mediator.

SL.XII.265, 50
AE 76,3

PRAYER: Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus, for all that you took upon yourself as our substitute and mediator. We know only too well that without you we can do nothing. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 43

He [John the Baptist] was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. John 1:8

The Gospel endures no other doctrine beside itself; it simply wants to be a witness to Christ and lead men to this light, namely Christ. Therefore these words, “He was not the light,” are worthy of being written in large letters and carefully noted against those men who push themselves forward and want to enlighten men with their own doctrines and self-made laws. Reject anyone who does not preach the Gospel and give him no kind of hearing.

He who teaches you to believe in Christ and to put your trust in the eternal Light, without building on any of your own works, is preaching the Gospel. Hence, be on your guard against everything you are told that is outside of the Gospel. Do not rely on it, and do not regard it as a light which enlightens and improves your soul, but regard it as something external, like eating and drinking for the needs of the body, that you can make use of according to your will or to please another, but not for your salvation. In regard to the latter, nothing is useful or necessary for you apart from this Light.

What a horrible thing is the doctrine of men, now rampant, which has actually banished this Light! Men themselves want to be this Light, and not witnesses of the Light! They are silent about it, or teach it in such a way that they are prominent, close beside it.

Being silent is even worse than denying, for from this procedure Samaritans are shown as serving God and idols at one and the same time (2 Kings 17:33).

SL.XI.184,81-84
AE 75,300

PRAYER: Reign in our heart and reign there supreme, O Lord, so that we fully and completely believe your saving Gospel with all our heart, that Christ’s light may at all times lead and direct us in the way of your choice. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 12:35,36

The life was the light of men. John 1:4

The thinking of human philosophy draws us away from Christ into ourselves. The evangelist wants to draw us away from ourselves to Christ. He refuses to deal with the divine, almighty, eternal Word of God and to speak about Him, except in the flesh and blood in which He walked here on earth.

He does not want to disperse us among the creatures created by Him, so that we should follow after Him, search for Him, and speculate about Him, as the Platonist do; he wants to gather us from the same wide-ranging and fleeting thoughts to Christ.

It is as though he said: Why do you step forth and search so widely? In Christ, the man, there is everything. He has accomplished all. In Him is life. He is the Word through which all things were made. Remain in Him and you will find everything. He is life and the light of all men. Anyone who tells you to look elsewhere for Him is misleading you. For He has given Himself to us in this flesh and blood, and He wants us to search for Him and find Him in this flesh and blood. Follow the witness of John the Baptist who points you to no other life or light than this man who is God Himself.

This light must, therefore, be understood as being the true light of grace – Christ – and not the natural light which sinners, Jews, heathen, and the worst enemies of light, also have.

SL.XI.171,44
AE 75,290

PRAYER: Thou only art true life;
To know Thee is to live
The more abundant life
That earth can never give.
O risen Lord, we live in Thee
And Thou in us eternally. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 5:6-11

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

The evangelist says, “In him was life,” as though he were speaking of something in the past, and not, “In him is life.” But this must not be understood as a reference to the time before the world or the beginning. For the evangelist does not say here, “In the beginning there was life in him,” as he says just prior to this, “He was in the beginning with God.”

One must refer this to the time of Christ’s life or sojourn on earth, when the Word of God manifested Himself to men and among men. It is the evangelist’s intention to write about Christ and His life, during which He accomplished all that was needed for us to have life: “In him was life.” Jesus Himself said: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5

We should understand the evangelist’s statements to refer simply to the time of Christ here on earth. This Gospel is not as difficult as is sometimes supposed. Men have made it difficult with their lofty, deep, and powerful researches. The evangelist wrote it for all Christians, however simple they may be, and he set forth his word in a manner that is quite comprehensible.

If someone simply disregarded Christ’s life and sojourn here on earth and tried to find by his own resources that He is now sitting in heaven, he would be sadly mistaken. We must seek Him as He was and sojourned here on earth. Then we will find life, for He came to bring us life, light, and salvation. During this life on earth, all was accomplished that we should believe concerning Him, so that John declares most emphatically, “In him was life,” not the He is not now our life and that He does not now do what He did then.

SL.XI.169-170,40-41
AE 75,286

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, shine into our hearts with the light of your truth and be the true light of our life, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: 1 John 1:1-4
He was in the beginning with God. John 1:2

These are statements on which our faith is based and to which we must cling. That there are three persons in the Godhead and that each person is completely the whole of the one God absolutely transcends all the powers of our reason. Moreover, there are not three Gods, but one God.

Our schoolmasters, with all sorts of fine-spun subtleties, explained it this and that way in an effort to make it comprehensible. But if you do not want to fall into the net of the evil foe, have nothing to do with their foolish refinements, conceits, and subtleties; take cover and remain in hiding like a hare in his stone crevice. If you go abroad and expose yourself to their human twaddle, the enemy will lead you on and finally trip you up so that you do not know where reason, faith, God, and you yourself eventually are.

Believe me, as one who has experienced this and struggled with it, I am not just talking rote. Scripture has not been given to us to no purpose. If reason could have given us correct guidance we would have no need for Scripture.

Let Arius and Sabellius* be warning examples. Had they been content to abide with the Scriptures and not sold out to reason they would not have been the cause of so much trouble. Our schoolmasters, too, would also have been Christian had they given up their tomfoolishness and subtleties and remained in the Scriptures.

SL.XI.164,26-27
AE 75, 284

*An ancient Unitarian

PRAYER: Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word;
Curb those who fain by craft or sword
Would wrest they kingdom from Thy Son
And set at naught all He has done. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

“The Word was with God.” Where else could the Word be? Outside of God there was nothing. Moses also says this when he writes, “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Genesis 1:3. In order to speak, He had to have the Word with Him.

There is a clear distinction made here in the persons of the Godhead: the Word is a different person from the God with whom He was. This statement of John does not allow us to suppose that God was alone, because he states that something was with God, namely, His word.

If there has been only a single person there, why would he say, “The Word was with God”? To have something “with” Him is not being alone or by Himself. We should note particularly that the evangelist places special stress on the “with.” He repeats it (v.2) in order to give clear expression to the personal distinction in the Godhead and to counter the arguments of natural reason and future heretics.

Since natural reason more easily comprehends the fact that there is only one God and this doctrine is supported by many passages of Scripture and this doctrine is also true, natural reason still finds it very difficult to accept the fact that this same God is more than one person. The Son is a different person from the Father, but He is not a different God.
SL.XI.161,21
AE 75,277

PRAYER: Great indeed, O God, is the mystery of our religion. Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, the Word who was with you at the beginning and who is truly God, was manifested in the flesh to be our Savior and Redeemer. Thanks be to you, O God, for your inexpressible love! Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 2:15-20

They made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child. Luke 2:17

The faith of the shepherds produced action. St. Paul says, “The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20. So also here. The shepherds do not only say, “Let us go and see!” but they actually went; indeed, they do more than they say. For the text says, “They went with haste.” This is more than just going as they had proposed to do. Faith and love always do more than they actually propose to do, and whatever they do is always something living, busy, active, and abundant.

A Christian must be a man of few words, rich in deeds. He proves himself such if he is a true Christian. If he does not prove his faith in deeds, he is not yet a true Christian.

The shepherds also confess and openly proclaim the word which was told them concerning this child. This is one of the most important duties in Christian life. One must risk body and life, property and honor. For the evil spirit does not launch such a heavy attack against correct belief and a good life in secret, but he will not abide it if we venture forth to spread the faith, confess, preach, and praise it for the sake of others. So Luke says here that the shepherds not only came to see something, but they also made known what they had heard on the field, not only before Mary and Joseph, but before all men.

SL.XI.149,18-19
AE 75,248

PRAYER: Grant us the joyful faith of the shepherds, O Lord, that we may go forth as witnesses, confessing you and your salvation to all our fellowmen. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 2:1-14

In that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with fear. And that angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11.

In a most clear manner the angel proclaims the Gospel besides which nothing else is to be preached in Christendom. He assumes the office of the Word in accordance with the Gospel and says, “I bring you good news.” He does not simply say, “I preach to you,” but, “I bring you the Gospel; I am an evangelist; my word is a Gospel.” Gospel means a good message of joy which shall constitute preaching in the New Testament.

Of what does the Gospel treat? Listen to what He says! “I am proclaiming a great joy to you; my Gospel tells you of a great joy.” Where is it? Listen further! “To you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.” See here what the Gospel is, namely, a joyful proclamation of Christ our Savior.

SL.XI.132,42-43
AE 75,209

PRAYER: We thank you, dear Savior, for all the joy of Christmastide and especially for the glorious gospel that you are indeed our Savior, Christ the Lord. Amen.

LESSON: 1 JOHN 3:1-10

I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. John 1:23

If you can now believe that the voice of John is true, fix your eyes in the way he is pointing and recognize the Lamb of God who is taking your sin upon Himself. You are victorious. You are a Christian, a lord over sin, death, hell, and all things. 

Your conscience must also be joyful and begin to love the tender Lamb of God, and to love, praise, and thank our heavenly Father for such a boundless richness of mercy preached through John and given in Christ. Then, also, we will become most willing to carry out God’s will as much as we can and with all our strength. 

What is more comforting and pleasant to hear than the message that our sins are no longer ours or lying upon us but upon the Lamb of God? How can sin condemn such an innocent Lamb? It must be conquered and destroyed in Him. And so, together with sin, death, and hell must also be conquered as the wages of sin.

SL.XI.117,53

AE 75,186

PRAYER: Gentle Jesus, Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, fill us with your love so that we readily do the will of our heavenly Father in the power of your grace. Amen. 

LESSON: MALACHI 4:1-6

And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, I am not.” John 1:21

In the question whether John was Elijah, the Jews were evidently referring to the prophecy of Malachi. I am of the opinion that Malachi had in mind no other Elijah but John, and that there are no grounds for assuming that there would be a return of Elijah the Tishbite who ascended into heaven in a flaming chariot (2 Kings 2:11).

The words of the angel Gabriel spoken to Zechariah, John’s father, also support this opinion: “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.” Luke 1:17. In these words one sees that the angel Gabriel is referring to the prophecy of Malachi and quotes the same words of the prophet who also says that Elijah will “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” Malachi 4:6. Had Malachi prophesied a different Elijah, the angel would certainly not have applied his words to John.

He followed the same course with the Virgin Mary when he applied Isaiah’s words to her: “Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son.” Isaiah 7:14. These words Gabriel applied to Mary when he said: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.” Luke 1:31.

In his work as the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist would be a real Elijah preaching repentance to prepare men for Christ.

SL.XI.101,14
AE 75,174

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, O God, for the great cloud of witnesses who have witnessed to your Son and the salvation you have prepared for us in Him. Amen.

LESSON: 1 JOHN 1:5-10

He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” John 1:20

The confession of John contains two parts: first, that he confesses; secondly, that he does not deny. His confession is the confession of Christ when he says that he is not the Christ. He confessed: “I am not the Christ.” His confession also includes the confession that he is not Elijah or a prophet. When John declares that “he did not deny,” it means that he confessed who he was in stating that he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness and preparing the way of the Lord.

His confession is a free confession, which confesses not only what he is not, but also what he is. For that part of a confession in which one confesses what he is not, is still dark and incomplete, and from which it is impossible to know what and how one should think of a man.

But here John openly states what one should think of him, as well as what one should not think of him. He leaves no grounds for uncertainty, inasmuch as he confesses that he is not the Christ, and does not deny that he is the voice preceding His coming. Inasmuch as he stands quite firm and confesses what he is, and what he is not, his action is a precious confession before God and no denial.

SL.XI.100,10
AE 75,174

PRAYER: In your mercy and grace, O Lord, give us a clear and certain faith which knows what is right and good in your sight, and acts accordingly without any fear of consequences. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 1:19-28

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” John 1:19

What were the Jews from Jerusalem seeking? Christ tells us when He says, “You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. . . He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.” John 5:33,35.

From these words it is clear that they wanted to increase their own reputation by making use of John, and they wanted to avail themselves of his “lamp,” that is, his high and famous name, to deck themselves out before the people. For, had John shown them favor and accepted the proffered honor, they would have enhanced their reputation before the whole people as those who were worthy of the friendship and respect of such a great and holy man.

What other result could have ensued except that their greed, tyranny, and villainy would have been confirmed as pure holiness and something precious? These men tried to make out of John a Judas Iscariot who would be prepared to justify all their vice and immorality and gain them his approval and the people’s support.

Are they not fine manipulators, offering John honor in order to bring his honor upon themselves? They offer him an apple for a kingdom, and try to exchange pennies for dollars. But he stood fast like a rock.
 

SL.XI.99,8-9
AE 75,172

PRAYER: Give us constancy and steadfastness of faith, O Lord, that we may ever serve you in singleness of heart and stand fast whatever the cost. Amen

LESSON: MATTHEW 18:1-9

Blessed is he who takes no offense at me. Matthew 11:6

Be on your guard against all and every offense. Who are those who cause offense here? All those who tell you to concentrate on works instead of faith.

Such teachers turn Christ into a lawgiver and a judge and will not let Him remain a pure helper and comforter. They plague you with the idea of having dealings with God and for God on the basis of works. They say you must make atonement for your sins to obtain God’s grace. Such people, of whom there are always many in this world, direct you to a different Christ from the one to whom you are pointed in this Gospel. If you want to have true faith and really attain to Christ, you must give up all hope in works as a basis for negotiating with God and before God. Works are all so many offences to keep you away from Christ and God.

Before God, no works at all avail except Christ’s own works. These you must plead on your behalf before God, and perform no other work before God but to believe that Christ has performed these works for you and offers them before God on your behalf. Your faith must always remain pure faith, doing nothing and keeping silence, allowing itself to be benefited, accepting Christ’s work and allowing Christ to exercise His love upon you.

You must be blind, lame, dead, leprous, and poor or you will become offended in Christ. The Gospel does not lie. Christ permits Himself to be seen only by those who are really in need and bestows His blessings only upon them.

SL.XI.94,53
AE 75,155

PRAYER: O Lord, grant us your grace in full measure, that we learn to entrust ourselves to you alone and are never offended at your humility. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 7:15-27

Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” Matthew 11:4-6

Our faith is strengthened and improved inasmuch as Christ is set before us in His own simple works. He is simply concerned with the blind, lame, lepers, deaf, the dead, and the poor, and has nothing but pure love and well-doing for all who are poor and needy. In short, Christ is nothing else but a consolation and a refuge for all who have a troubled and weakened conscience.

Here there is need of faith that builds on His Gospel and relies on it without any doubt that Christ is just as His Gospel portrays Him. Such faith holds nothing else about Christ and will not suffer any other view to be upheld about Him. And such faith has the Christ in whom it believes and as His Gospel describes Him. For as you believe, you will receive. “Blessed is he who takes no offense at me.”

In this way we recognize Christ aright and receive Him in true faith. This is what the Christian faith includes. Those who think that they can render satisfaction to God by their works and become righteous thereby, do not really know the Christ portrayed in this Gospel. If they persist in their mistaken views they will be lost.

SL.XI.93,52-53
AE 75,153

PRAYER: Give us a simple faith, Lord Jesus, that we always believe with our whole hearts that you are our Lord and Savior in the simple manner you have revealed yourself to us in your holy Word. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 98

Christ Jesus our hope. 1 Timothy 1:1

The Greek word for Gospel [euaggelion] means “a joyful message” because in it there is proclaimed the salutary doctrine of life by God’s assurance and grace, and the forgiveness of sins is offered us. So the Gospel is not a matter of works, for it is not Law. The Gospel is a matter of faith alone, because it is absolutely nothing but the promise and offer of divine grace.

He who believes the Gospel receives grace and the Holy Spirit. As a result of this, the heart becomes joyful and well-pleased with God, and a willing and free obedience to the Law ensues. There is no longer any fear of punishment and the pursuit of meritorious works. The heart is content and satisfied with the grace of God.

From the beginning of the world, however, such promises have all been based on Christ. God has not promised such grace to anyone but in Christ and through Christ. Christ is the messenger of divine promise to the whole world. For this purpose He also came into the world and has sent out this promise through the Gospel into all the world. Before His coming He made known this promise through the Prophets. Everything points to Christ and is concluded in Christ. He who does not hear Christ does not hear God’s promise. For just as there is no law outside of Moses and the prophetical Scriptures, so God gives no promise except through Christ alone.

SL.XI.84,26-27
AE 75,146

PRAYER: Thanks be to you, O heavenly Father, that you have conferred your grace and salvation upon us on the certain and sure ground of faith in Christ alone, our one and only hope of eternal life. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 1:16,17

The gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24

The Gospel is neither Law nor command; it makes no demands on us. If wretched distress and misery in the heart have come about through the first word of the Law, the Gospel comes as a loving and living word; it promises and assures us, undertaking to give us grace and help so that we may get out of such distress. It not only forgives us our sins but actually destroys them and, in addition, gives us love and the desire to fulfill the Law. This divine assurance of God’s grace and the forgiveness of sins is what the Gospel really is.

I say once more that one should not understand the Gospel as anything else but God’s promise of grace and the forgiveness of sins.

The reason why Paul’s epistles have for so long been misunderstood and, indeed, cannot be understood, is that men do not really know what is Law and what is Gospel. They regard Christ as a lawgiver and the Gospel as nothing but the proclamation of a new law. This is nothing else but locking up the Gospel and hiding everything.

SL.XI.83,24-25
AE 75,145

PRAYER: Enlighten us, O Lord, in such a way by your Holy Spirit, that we really understand that your sole purpose and aim in the revelation of your Gospel is to lead us to salvation as a completely free gift of your wonderful grace in Christ. Amen.

LESSON: 1 Timothy 1:8-11

The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good . . . but I am carnal, sold under sin. Romans 7:12,14

The law is the word by which God teaches us and instructs us in what we are to do and not to do, as He does in the Ten Commandments. Where nature stands alone, without God’s grace, it is impossible to keep God’s Law for the reason that man, after Adam’s fall in Paradise, is corrupt and has nothing but evil lust leading him into sin. It is impossible for him to be well-disposed to the Law from the depths of his heart.

We all experience this. There is no one who would not prefer to be without any Law at all. Every one of us realizes and feels in himself that it is very hard to be pious and to do good, and very easy to be wicked and to do evil.

Such shortcomings and unwillingness to do what is good force us into transgressions of God’s Law. What is done reluctantly, poorly, and unwillingly is of no avail at all before God. God’s Law overcomes us. We learn this from our own experience as we are by nature wicked, disobedient, lovers of sin, and enemies of God’s Law.

SL.XI.81,19
AE 75,143

PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, guard against all spiritual pride and self-righteousness so that when we look into the mirror of your Law we may see ourselves as we really are, lost and condemned sinners, whose only hope rests in our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 85

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Isaiah 61:1,2

What does Jesus mean when He says, “The poor have good news preaches to them”? Is not the good news also proclaimed to the rich and the whole world? How can the Gospel be regarded as something so important and as a great blessing when there are so many who are hostile to it?

Here we must know what the Gospel is, or we cannot understand this passage. We must diligently observe that from the beginning God has sent two words or forms of proclamation to the world – the Law and the Gospel. These two forms of proclamation you must recognize and separate. I tell you that hitherto, with the exception of the Scriptures, no book has ever been written, not even by a saint, in which these two forms of proclamation have been correctly divided. And yet this is such a basic issue.

SL. XI.80,18
AE 75,140

PRAYER: Grant us your Holy Spirit, O Lord, the Spirit of truth and understanding, that we may correctly understand your Word, correctly separating Law from Gospel, and never being confused in our faith. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 11:2-10

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted. Isaiah 61:1

Kings and priests are normally anointed to a kingdom and priesthood respectively. But this anointed King and Priest, Isaiah says here, is to be anointed by God Himself, not with any temporal oil but with the Holy Spirit who rests upon Him as He says: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.”

And so He preaches the Gospel, restores sight to the blind, heals all manner of sickness, and preaches the acceptable year, the time of grace. “Behold, your God will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.” Isaiah 35:4-6.

If we compare the Scripture with Christ’s works and Christ’s works with the Scripture, it becomes evident that in Christ we have the right man. Luke declares that at the time when the disciples of John the Baptist came to question Him, “he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight.” Luke 7:21.

Here we must take Christ’s example to heart. He takes up His stand on His works and tells us to form our ideas about the tree from its fruits.

SL.XI.77,10
AE 75,137

PRAYER: Thanks be to you, O King of grace and salvation, for the fullness of your works of grace and salvation encouraging us at all times to place our full faith and reliance in you alone. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 15:4-13

And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” Luke 21:29-31

These are words of sheer joy! Jesus does not give a parable for autumn or winter when the trees are bare and it is a gloomy time of the year. He gives us a parable for spring and summer which is a joyful, happy time, when all creatures revive and are joyful. Hereby it is very clearly taught that we should look forward to the last day and console ourselves with the gladness and eager longing with which all creatures joyfully await the spring and the summer.

What else could this parable suggest to us if that is not what the Lord is teaching here? Here He is telling us, “It will not mean hell and condemnation for you, but the kingdom of God”.

Therefore, look to your life and search your heart to determine how you are minded as far as the last day is concerned. Do not rely on your good life, for it can soon put you to shame! Strengthen your faith so that this day does not overtake you unawares with those who are damned and perverse. May you eagerly wait for it, and when you hear it mentioned, or think of it, may your heart leap for joy.

SL.XI.66,51-53
AE 75,107

PRAYER: Lead us at all times by your grace, O Lord, that we eagerly await your coming as the consummation of all our hopes and joy. Amen.

LESSON: ISAIAH 11:1-10

Thy kingdom come. Matthew 6:10

Even though the Lord’s Prayer is prayed on all sides throughout the world by countless numbers of people, there are really only very few who pray it correctly. For all but a very few would much prefer that there should never be any day of the Lord’s coming. What else is this but to wish that God’s kingdom should never come? In this way their heart prays against their mouth, and God judges according to the heart whereas they judge by the mouth.

So men devise and engage in many prayers, babble all the churches full in all the world, and all this goes by the name of prayer. But basically all this amounts to saying, “May Thy kingdom not come!” or, “May it not come yet!” Tell me, is not such prayer real blasphemy, of which the psalmist declares, “Let his prayer be counted as sin!” Psalm 109:7?

A tremendous amount of money and worldly goods is wasted in cramming every nook and corner with such blasphemy which men call the worship of God. Because there is such abuse in the use of prayer is no reason why the true children of God should not continue to pray earnestly to their heavenly Father for the coming of His kingdom and the full realization of all their hopes and joys.

SL.XI.65,48-49
AE 75,102

PRAYER: Enlighten and guide us by your grace, O Lord, that we always look forward to your coming in confidence and with our heads raised in joy. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 50:1-6

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16

How could our Lord Jesus Christ admonish, comfort, and strengthen you more lovingly? First, He says: “You will hear of wars, but do not be afraid!” (Luke 21:9). When He tells you not to be afraid, what else is it but bidding you to be confident, and to recognize such signs with joy? Secondly, He tells you to look up joyfully. Thirdly, you are to raise your heads; and fourthly, He mentions your redemption.

What is going to comfort and strengthen you if these words fail to do so? Could you believe that He is lying to you and wants to deceive you with a false confidence? Do not be one to whom these words are addressed in vain! Thank God and confidently rely on these words!

There is no other help or comfort if these words are consigned to the winds. It is not a matter of condemnation but of your redemption, Christ says for your consolation and comfort. Will you turn these words about and say it is not your redemption but your damnation as you flee from your own salvation?

Will you not greet God when He meets you, and will you withhold your thanks to Him when He greets you? Without a doubt these words so well spoken are also especially intended to help those who are inclined to be somewhat despondent and even fearful in regard to the things Christ sets forth as heralds of His coming.
SL.XI.63,44-45
AE 75,97

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, fill our hearts with such confidence that we may recognize the signs which you have given us as heralds of your coming, and receive such signs with joy. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 80

You are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:7

No one is better prepared for the advent of the last day than the one who earnestly desires to be without sin. If you have such a longing, why are you afraid? Thereby you are in full accord with all that this day betokens. Jesus comes to save from sins all who long for His redemption, and this is also what you are longing for. Give thanks to God and remain in this frame of mind! Christ says that His coming means redemption.

But see to it that you are not deceiving yourself when you say that you would be very glad to be free from sin, and that you do not fear the advent of that day. You do not really want to be free of sins but in His presence you cannot sin freely and securely.

See to it that your light is not darkness! For a heart that truly wants to be free of sin rejoices in confidence at the thoughts of that day which will fulfill all longings. If this joy is lacking, there is no real longing to be free of sin.

SL.XI.63,42
AE 75,95

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, fill our hearts with such joy and confidence in connection with your Day, that we really raise our heads as those who await you, knowing that your coming betokens our final entrance into the blessed abode which you have prepared for those who love you, for your name’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 17:20-30

When these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads. Luke 21:28

If we are to pray fervently that God’s kingdom may come, then it is certainly necessary that we should look forward to these signs, horrible as they may be, with joy and eager longing, as Christ admonishes us when He tells us to raise our heads. He means to say, “Do not be afraid or lower your heads, for the object of our earnest prayers is coming.”

If, then, we are really in earnest about getting rid of our sins, death, and hell, we must look forward to this coming with eager and loving longing. In anticipation of this day, St. Paul declares: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on the Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8.

If He gives the crown to all who have loved this appearing, what will He give to those who have hated it and been afraid of it? Without a doubt He must assign them to hell as His enemies!

Likewise, in the Epistle to Titus, Paul says that we await “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:3. In Luke’s Gospel we read that we should “be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast.” Luke 12:36.
 

SL.XI.61,38
AE 75,93

PRAYER: Thanks be to you, dear Savior, for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation which you have procured for us by your suffering and death for us, and by which we also await your coming in joy and confidence, for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: 2 PETER 3:1-11

When these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28

You might feel inclined to say in this context, “Who could possibly raise his head in the face of such wrath and judgement? Will not the whole world rather lower its head in terror and look downwards in fear and dismay? How are we in such a situation to look up and raise our heads?” The latter without a doubt signifies joy and eager longing.

The answer to this is: All this is spoken to Christians alone – to real Christians, not to the heathen or the Jews. Real Christians are involved in great temptations and persecutions from sins and all kinds of evil, so that this life often becomes distasteful and quite ugly for them. And so they wait with eager longing and pray to be delivered from sins and all evil, as is also said in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come,” and “deliver us from evil.”

If we are real Christians, we will also pray this earnestly from the depths of our heart. If we do not pray this earnestly from our hearts, we are not yet real Christians.

SL.XI.61,37
AE 75,92

PRAYER: O Lord, you have so often promised in your Word to deliver us from all the trials and tribulations which we experience in a world of sin and sadness. Receive us into your heavenly kingdom, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 21:25-33

Then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:27

Here you can interpret “power” as referring to the host of angels, saints, and all creatures who will accompany Christ on His coming to judgement. This I consider to be the correct interpretation. The evangelist does not just say, “He will come,” but “they will see the Son of man coming.”

He also came into the world by bodily birth, but that coming was seen by no one. He also comes daily into the hearts of believers in a spiritual manner by means of the Gospel. This coming is also seen by no one.

But his second coming will take place in a public manner in which all men will see Him, as is declared in the book of Revelation: “every eye will see him” [1:7]. They will see that He is none other than the human being Jesus Christ in bodily form, as He was born of Mary and recognized here on earth. He could have merely said, “they will see Me,” without any obvious reference to His human form. But He says here that they will see the Son of man. By this He clearly states that He is referring to a bodily seeing of Himself in human form.

This will take place in great power, with a great host of angels and in great glory. He will sit on a bright cloud and with Him He will bring all the saints. Of His coming, Scripture speaks quite often. It is something of very great importance.
SL.XI.60,36
AE 75,91

PRAYER: Lord, keep us ever mindful of your second glorious coming to judgement so that we, with all your saints, may ever dwell with you in the blessed kingdom you have prepared for us, for your love’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 25:11-22

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

The daughter of Zion receives twofold gifts from Christ. The first is faith and the Spirit in the heart, whereby she is cleansed and freed from sins. The second is Christ himself. And she can glory in the blessings received from Christ just as though all that Christ is and has is her very own, so that she may rely on Christ as her inheritance. Of this Paul speaks when he reminds us that Christ is our Mediator before God (Romans 8:34). If He is our Mediator, He accepts us as His own and we, for our part, accept Him as our own.

In Corinthians, Paul also states that Christ in us is made by God to be our righteousness, wisdom, holiness, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Isaiah says concerning the two-fold gifts, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1,2.

Here, “He comes to you” means, “for your good, as your very own.” Inasmuch as He is your King, you receive grace from Him in your heart. He keeps you from sin and death, and also becomes your King with you as His subject. But inasmuch as He comes to you, He becomes your sin so that you gain command also of His blessings.

This is a delightful and comforting Word! Who is going to despair or become fearful of death and hell if he believes these words and wins Christ as His very own?
SL.XI.10,27
AE 75,35

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, loving heavenly Father, for the wonderful gifts of grace which you have so richly bestowed on us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: 1 PETER 2:21-25

To you. Matthew 21:5

“Your king is coming to you.” You do not seek Him, you do not find Him, He finds you; for the preachers come from Him, not from you; their preaching come from Him, not from you; your faith comes from Him, not from you; and all that faith works in you comes from Him, not from you. So you see quite well that if He did not come to you, you would remain on the outside where there is no Gospel and no God, only sin and corruption.

Therefore, do not ask for a beginning of a godly life. There is no beginning of such a life except where this King comes and is proclaimed.

He comes “to you.” “To you” – what is this? Is it not enough that He is “your king”? If He is yours, why does the text say, He comes “to you”?

All that is set forth here by the prophet to depict Christ in the most loving manner and to urge us to faith. It is not enough for Christ to save us from the tyranny and dominion of sin, death, and hell and to become our King. He must give Himself as our very own so that all that He is and has becomes ours. St. Paul speaks of this when he says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” Romans 8:32.
SL.XI.9,25-26
AE 75,35

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our King, rule supreme and alone in our hearts and souls so that all the treasures of your truth and salvation may be ours personally now and forever. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 25:1-10 

Your king is coming to you. Matthew 21:5 

Learn from this Gospel what happens when God begins to make us godly, and what is the beginning of becoming godly. There is no other beginning but the fact that your King comes to you and begins to work in you.  

This comes to pass as follows. The Gospel must be the very first thing in this context; it must be preached and heard. In this you hear and learn how your work is nothing before God and that all you do or attempt is sin. But your King must be in you beforehand and rule you. That is the beginning of your salvation. You then give up your own work, and despair of self, because you hear and see that your own work is nothing, as the Gospel tells you. You begin to receive your King through faith, you cling to Him, invoke His grace, and entrust yourself solely to His goodness.  

That you hear and accept this is also not of your own strength but of God’s grace, which has made the Gospel fruitful in you, so that you believe Him when He declares that your own work is nothing.  

You see how few there are who accept His grace. Jesus also wept over Jerusalem. The papists not only reject this doctrine but actually condemn it. They do not want their own work to be sin and nothing. They want to lay the first stone and they rage and storm against the Gospel.  

SL.XI.8,23
AE 75,35 

PRAYER: O Lord, take from our hearts all self-pride and trust in our own works and efforts, and grant us grace to trust solely and wholly in your mercy and grace, granted us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

LESSON: PSALM 24

Your king. Matthew 21:5

Here this King is separated from all other kings. He is “your king,” the one promised to you and whose own you are. He is the one who rules you and no one else. But His rule is a spiritual, not a secular, rule.

This is a comforting word for the believing heart, for apart from Christ, man is subjected to many raging tyrants who are not kings but murderers. Under these he endures great misery and terror.

Such tyrants include the devil, the flesh, the world, and sin, as well as the law, death, and hell. At the hands of all these the wretched conscience is oppressed, suffers heavy imprisonment, and lives a bitter, uneasy life. For where sins are, there is no conscience; where there is no good conscience, everything is quite uncertain and there is unending fear of death and hell before which there can be no firm joy or delight in the heart. As Moses declares, such a heart is terrified at the rustling of a leaf (Leviticus 26:36).

Wherever a heart receives this King in firm faith, it becomes established and does not fear sin, death, hell, or any misfortune. It knows and does not doubt that this King is the Lord over life and death, sin and grace, hell and heaven, and that all things are in His hands.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, my King, establish your rule in my heart in such a way that my heart becomes your throne, and peace and joy may reign therein for evermore. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 10:19-25

Behold! Matthew 21:5

“Behold!” Mark this word well. With this word the Holy Spirit wakens us from sleep and unbelief as one who wants to set forth something important, strange, and noteworthy which one has long desired and should receive with joy. And we really need such an awakening, because our reason and nature despises all that concerns faith and finds it most unsuitable.

How can it possibly be that this man who rides along in such poverty and humility should be the King of Jerusalem and that He is riding only a strange, hired ass? How can nature and reason possibly grasp this? How can such an entrance be squared with that of a great King?

Faith is of such a kind that it does not judge and follow according to what it sees and feels but according to what it hears. It clings to the Word alone. Appearance and outward looks count for nothing at all. Therefore the only ones here who really accepted Christ as a King were those who followed the word of the prophet. They believed in Christ and His kingdom not with their eyes, but accept Him with the spirit.

These are also the true “daughter of Zion.” For the man who wants to follow Christ according to outward appearance and feeling cannot avoid becoming offended at Him. One must cling firmly to the pure Word alone.

SL.XI.4,14
AE 75,29

PRAYER: Enable us at all times, O Lord, to cling with all our faith to your pure Word alone, so that we behold you as you really are and thus ever cling to you in love and obedience, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

Faith apart from works is dead. James 2:26

Faith is of two sorts. The first is that you believe that Christ is a man like the Christ described and proclaimed in the whole Gospel, but you do not actually believe that He is such a man for you. You have your doubts that all He achieved is for you. It may be for St. Peter, Paul, and the holy saints, but you are not at all sure that it is for you. 

Such a faith is really nothing. It never really receives Christ or tastes of the things that really count in Him. Even the devils have this faith. 

The one faith which is entitled to be called real, true Christian faith is to believe without any wavering that Christ is not only such a man for St. Peter and the saints, but also for you, indeed, for you more than for all others.  

Your salvation does not consist in believing that Christ is a Christ for the pious, but that He is a Christ for you and is yours. 

This faith brings it to pass that He pleases you in a most delightful manner. Then love and good works follow without any compulsion. 

If works do not follow, it is quite certain that faith is really absent. Where faith exists, the Holy Spirit is also present working love and what is good in us. 

SL.XI.2,8-9
AE 75,28

PRAYER: Bestow your Holy Spirit upon us, O Lord, to lead us into true faith, active in love and producing the works pleasing to you, for the welfare of your kingdom and our neighbor. Amen. 

LESSON: MATTHEW 21:1-9

Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass. Matthew 21.5

This Gospel in a special manner arouses and demands faith. It portrays Christ in His coming grace. No one can really receive and accept Him unless he believes that He is the man in the sense portrayed in this Gospel. All that is set forth here in Christ is pure grace, gentleness and goodness. He who believes this regarding Christ is saved.

Look at Him! He rides no stallion, an animal mostly associated with war. He does not come in splendor and animal, accustomed to burdens and toil in the service of men. In this way He shows that He comes not to tempt men, nor to come down upon them with force and suppress them, but to them, to bear their burden and to take it upon Himself.

Although it was the time-honoured custom of the country to ride on asses and to use horses for war, as often recorded in Scripture, all that is narrated here is intended ot make known how this King rides in gently, with nothing but good intent.

To demonstrate this point, a prophetic statement is introduced here (Zechariah 9.9) to draw us to faith and the acceptance of Christ in a very friendly manner. For the sake of this statement, the events of this Gospel took place and were set down in writing as the evangelist also declares. Let us pay careful attention to this statement and the chief point of this Gospel, for herein Christ is highlighted for us in regard to what we are to hold and believe concerning Him, what we are to expect from Him, what we are to seek in Him, and how we are to avail ourselves of His help and make use of Him.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, fill us at all times with your saving grace. Lead us to true faith and preserve us therein, for your love’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: 1 JOHN 5:6‒12

Let God be true, but every man a liar. Romans 3:4

Someone may ask: What will happen if we cannot trust anyone? We must have some involvement and dealings with others; how otherwise could human society continue? We must buy and sell and distribute our wares among others. If no one believed or trusted anyone else, all human transactions would come to an end.

It is true, of course, that we must have dealings with each other, and one needs the other’s help. But the point I am trying to make is this: your dealings with any man, whether it be buying or selling, must be regarded as a matter of uncertainty on which you cannot rest your faith or build anything with absolute certainty.

This much is sure: If you trust anyone, you are already deceived. Human nature, to the best of its ability, can do nothing but lie and deceive. Everything, accordingly, which depends on man must always retain an element of uncertainty; man’s works and words are subject to constant change and instability. Be quite sure of that!

We must trust God alone and say, “O Lord, You are my life, my soul and body, my property and goods, and all that is mine: direct and order it all in accordance with Your will. You I believe. You I trust. You will never forsake me in any dangerous situation with this man or that man. I cannot trust man. If you know that it will be good for me, bring it to pass that he keeps faith with me. If you know that it will not benefit me, let him break faith with me. I am well content to let Your will be done.

Sl.XI.1810,17

PRAYER: O God, we pray that Your good and gracious will should always prevail in all our relationships with You and our fellowmen, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:293-306.

LESSON: PSALM 40:1‒5

Thus says the Lord; “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:5

The less a man is trained in the ways of the world, the less he is opposed to God. Those who have made progress and gained recognition before the world, deceive and lie more than the others. They think that in the deceitfulness and cunning procedures of their actions, their deceit and vice are covered up. It is true, that they are masters at covering up and hiding their activities! But the Holy Spirit is very keen-sighted, and He knows them very well. Holy Scripture calls such fellows lions, wolves, bears, swine, and wild animals. They are always raging, and they devour and consume everything with their treachery.

In the Old Testament, the Jews were forbidden to eat certain animals because they were to regard them as unclean. They included those we have just mentioned, as well as others. A possible reason for this was that they were a figure and indication of certain people who are strong, powerful, rich, gifted, learned, prudent, and wise, who are to be strictly avoided as something unclean, namely, as people who mislead and deceive others with their outward brilliance, power, and cleverness. They are people of such a kind, that one would never suspect them of any evil intentions. Hence, we must never put any confidence and trust in any man as such.

Do not believe anyone. If a man can do so, he will surely mislead you. If you trust him, you will find yourself in opposition to God so that you do not trust God. This is what Jeremiah wants to teach us in the passage cited above.

SL.XI.1809,16

PRAYER: As Your children, heavenly Father, we owe all our faith and trust to You alone and not to men, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:293-306.

LESSON: PSALM 106:6‒8

For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26‒29

In this week’s Gospel (Matthew 22:15‒22), we have a very good portrayal of the cunning and perversity of human nature. There is nothing in men by nature but evil, lies, deceit, cunning, and all that is vicious. By nature man is nothing else but a liar, as the psalmist declares. You cannot trust a single person. Don’t think for a moment that you will ever hear a word of truth from anyone; man is a liar whenever he opens his mouth. How so? The spring is evil, that is, the heart is no good. Therefore the streams are no good either.

This is why the Lord at times described men as a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34) and “serpents” (Matthew 23:33). Is not this an apt title for these people? Let anyone come forward here to boast about his piety and the powers of his own free will! Before the world it is possible to put on a fine exterior, and to be pious and holy, with much outward glitter. But there is really nothing else there than a brood of vipers and serpents, especially in the most valued, excellent, wise, and clever men. When you read the histories of the Greeks, Romans, and Jews, you will find that the best and cleverest princes, those who ruled well by human standards, were not conscious of receiving anything from God but relied on themselves alone, ascribing nothing at all to the power of God.

SL.XI.1809,15

PRAYER: Dear Lord, heavenly Father, in Your mercy and grace You bestow upon us everything in our lives that deserves to be called good. May we ever cling to You in firm faith, the giver of all good gifts, in Christ our Lord. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:293-306.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:18‒23

Jesus did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all men and needed no one to bear witness of man; for He Himself knew what was in man. John 2:24‒25

Whenever we are assailed by the enemies of our faith, we always have the strong consolation that Christ is in us and will carry off the victory through us. Christ is so close to us that we always conquer through Him because we are in Christ. When we are not beset by any adversity, we do not feel the need of His presence. But when we are under attack and are being crushed, He makes His presence felt and puts our enemies to shame.

Here, too, we should note that those who are a cut above others, cleverer, more powerful, with special gifts of understanding, nature, and fortune; those who are more artistic, more learned, and wiser than their fellows, who can speak well and who are equipped to exercise leadership over others, who can rule and regulate everything in the best possible manner, these people, for the greater part, are opposed to God and faith, and tend to rely more on the powers of their own reason than on God. Poisoned nature prevents them from being prepared to employ their gifts to the best advantage, for the use and benefit of their neighbor. Relying on their own gifts, they simply set their minds on this or that and hold the view that they do not need help or strength in any way.

They resemble the Pharisees of the Gospel (Matthew 22:15‒22). They were quite confident that they would get the upper hand over Jesus by setting Him a trick question. They felt that He could not possibly escape from their clutches because He would be in serious trouble if He answered either “Yes” or “No.”

SL.XI.1808,13

PRAYER: The wisdom of this world is folly with You, O God, and Your wisdom is foolishness with the world. Be pleased to open our hearts to receive the foolishness of the Gospel, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:293-306.

LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7‒10

We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way; through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:3‒10

Nothing better can happen for the Gospel than for the world to oppose it with might and cunning. The more that sin and the devil assail my conscience, the stronger becomes the justice of my cause. For the sins that press upon me hurt me; this makes me all the more persistent in my prayer and cries to God; hence my faith and confidence in my cause become stronger and stronger continually. This is also what St. Paul means when he states, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Inasmuch, then, as we have a treasure which becomes stronger through temptation and adversity, we should never become afraid, but be of good courage and even rejoice in tribulation as Paul also observes.

If the devil were clever enough to keep quiet and simply allow the Gospel to be preached without trying to hinder it, he would certainly have less trouble on his hands. For if the Gospel is not attacked, it grows rusty and has no particular reason for manifesting its power and might.

SL.XI.1807,11

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, we are by nature weak and beggarly, having nothing in us with which to oppose our enemies—the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. Make us strong, especially in the blessings of the Gospel available to us in rich measure, in and through Christ our beloved Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:293-306.

LESSON: PSALM 118:1‒9

If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him? Romans 8:31‒32

All who set themselves against the divine wisdom and Word of God must bring discredit on themselves or suffer disgrace. Let no one therefore be afraid, even if all the cleverness and might of the world range themselves against the Gospel, and even if efforts are made to subdue it with bloodshed. The more blood that is shed, the more Christians will increase. Tertullian well observed that the blood of the Christians is the seed from which Christians grow. The devil is drowned in Christian blood. Hence it is not a very smart thing to try to suppress the Gospel by force.

In a certain respect, the Gospel resembles the palm tree. It is the nature and character of this tree to lie on top, no matter how much loading one puts onto it. If a beam is made of it, it does not yield to any load but actually raises itself against the load. That is also how the Gospel is. The more opposition it encounters, the greater pressure it exerts, and the more men try to quench it, the more and more it grows.

We should never be afraid of might and force; what we should really fear is success and good days. These are quite likely to do us more harm than anxiety and persecution.

We should also not be afraid of the wisdom and cleverness of the world. This can do us no harm. The more the wisdom of the world opposes the truth of the Gospel, the purer and clearer the truth becomes.

SL.XI.1807,10‒11

PRAYER: Be the defender and protector of Your Word and Gospel, O God, in all attacks made on it by its enemies. May Your Word and Gospel continue to go from strength to strength, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:293-306.

LESSON: MATTHEW 22:15‒22

When they heard it, they marveled; and they left Him and went away. Matthew 22:22

This is written for our consolation, so that those of us who believe in Christ should know that we Christians are in possession of a wisdom that outranks all other wisdom, and that we have a strength and righteousness with which no human strength or righteousness can stand comparison. Against the Holy Spirit no human counsel is of any avail. Through Christ we have the power to tread sin underfoot and to trample upon death, and a wisdom that exceeds the wisdom of the whole world. If Christ dwells in us by faith, He is ours and will attend to all this in us. But in the hour of trial and temptation, we do not always feel this. Therefore, when I need it, He comes to me and enables me to make my way through my difficulties with renewed strength.

We should never be apprehensive that our doctrine will go under and be disgraced. No matter whether all the learned and wise men of this world rise up against God’s Word and make a merry sport of their opposition to the Word, they are doomed to ultimate failure. It can happen that they bark against the Word and bite it to such an extent that people think that the Gospel will be overwhelmed. But when they set themselves to overthrow the Gospel, it is quite certain that they will fail in a disgraceful manner, and they themselves will be caught in the trap by which they hoped to overthrow the Gospel. This is what happened here in this Gospel to the men who tried to trip up Jesus. They thought themselves smart enough to outwit Christ in every way, but their wisdom and smartness let them down.

SL.XI.1806,8‒9

PRAYER: Grant us a full measure of Your Holy Spirit, O God, the Spirit of truth and understanding, that we may always cling in firm faith to the teaching of Your Word, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:293-306.

LESSON: PSALM 119:57‒64

God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

When we believe that we have a gracious God and that we need nothing further, it would, presumably, be time for us to die as soon as possible. But if we are to continue our life here on earth, it must not be directed towards gaining God’s favor by our works.

Anyone who holds such a view makes a mockery of God and blasphemes God. Yet this is what was taught for such a long time in the Church. We were informed that we must keep on pestering God with our good works, prayers, fasts, and the like, until we obtained His grace. We did obtain grace, not by our works, but from God’s mercy.

In your life of faith, you certainly have to get busy and do something, but, as Christ informs us, everything we do must be done for the interests of our neighbor. The servant in the parable, we are told, “went out.” He “went out” in love. Faith leads men from people to God. Love leads them out to people. Our faith must break out and prove itself in action before our fellowmen. God does not need your works; He has enough in your faith. But He wants you to do works as fruits of faith, to demonstrate the reality of your faith before the whole world in works.

This servant (Matthew 18:23‒35) is an example or a picture of all who should serve their neighbor in faith. But what does he do? He does what most of us do. We imagine that we have faith, and in part this is true. We rejoice at having heard the Gospel, and we may even be able to talk a great deal about it. But only too few really live in accordance with the Gospel. There are even those in our midst who seem to become worse after hearing the Gospel.

SL.XI.1796,21‒24
AE. 79:255-265

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, give us at all times a true and genuine faith, which proves itself in works of love to our neighbor and becomes ever stronger and more willing to walk the paths of your choosing, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 119:33‒40

With the Lord on my side, I do not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:6‒8

Because this servant (Matthew 18:23‒35) is humbled by the knowledge of his sins, the Word becomes a source of mighty consolation to him. The lord absolves him and forgives him his debt and punishment. Hereby we should note that the Gospel does not touch profligate hearts, nor those who are openly insolent in their wickedness, but only those whose conscience is terrified, whose sins oppress them, who would gladly get rid of them if they could. On such God has mercy. He grants them full remission.

In accepting the Word, this servant became God’s friend. If he had not accepted the Word, it would not have helped him; there would have been no remission. Hence, it is not enough for God to offer us the forgiveness of sins and to proclaim a jubilee year of grace; the Word must be accepted and believed.

If you believe the Word, you are free from your sins and all is simple. This is the first part of a Christian life which this Gospel and all others teach us. It consists basically in faith, by which alone we have dealings with God. In addition, however, we are shown here that the Gospel cannot be grasped unless conscience has been previously afflicted and is in distress.

SL.XI.1794,17
AE. 79:255-265

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your assurance to us is that we have the full forgiveness of all our sins by Your grace alone through faith alone. Keep from us all trust in our own works and merits as we cling to Your grace alone, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 4:9‒12

If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. Romans 11:6

In his mercy, the lord in the parable of Matthew 18:23‒35 pities the wretched situation of the servant before him. He sets aside and gives up his rights and says no more about selling his servant “with his wife and children and all that he had.” He could certainly have insisted on his rights, declaring, “You have to pay up; I have my rights and have no intention of giving them up for your sake.” No one could have found fault with him on this score.

But he does not want to deal with his servant on the basis of rights. He exchanges rights for grace and has pity on his servant. He sets him free, together with his wife and children and all that he has, and forgives him his whole debt. This is also what God proclaims through the Gospel, saying to us, “He who believes shall not only have his debt forgiven but also the punishment he has merited.”

Works must never come into consideration here. Anyone who suggests that one can get rid of the guilt and punishment for sin through works has denied the Gospel. That God should have pity on you and that you should earn or merit His favor cannot be harmonized in any way. Paul’s argument is unanswerable, “If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6). If you pay what you owe, there is no need for His mercy. If you are the recipient of His mercy, you are not paying for it. Hence we must allow Him to initiate His dealings with us and to act quite alone; we must receive from Him and believe in Him. That is what the Gospel is all about, as we see also from this parable.

SL.XI.1794,16
AE. 79:255-265

PRAYER: As lost and condemned sinners, without any righteousness or merits of our own, O God, we have no other recourse but to throw ourselves on Your mercy and love. It is the glory of Your Gospel that it assures us that Your grace alone is our effective means of salvation, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 9:11‒14

“Out of pity for him, the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” Matthew 18:27

The lord has pity on this servant in his wretched condition. The servant is securely caught and entangled in his sins and foolish enough to suppose that he can help himself out of his hopeless plight. He does not look for mercy. He knows nothing about grace. He feels nothing but his sins which oppress him sorely. There is no one to whom he can turn for help. Even while he is in this wretched plight, the lord turned to him in pity and released him.

In this action of the lord, there is portrayed to us what the Gospel in its nature really is, and how God deals with us. If you are entangled in your sins and are afraid that you can find no help to rescue you from your sad plight, the Gospel comes to you and says, “No, not so, my dear friend, it does not help you to martyr yourself to the point of distraction and to become alarmed. It is not your works but God’s mercy alone which moves Him to have pity on you in your wretched situation. He sees that you are in the grip of fear, that you are throttling yourself in the mire of your sins, that you cannot extricate yourself from your plight. He can see that you cannot pay your debt. In pity and mercy, He forgives you your whole debt. Therefore, it is a case of pure mercy. He forgives you your debt, not because of your works or any merits. He has pity on your cries, entreaties, and the requests you have made on your knees.”

This means that God regards a humble heart, as David declares, “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). A heart that is broken, he says, and contrite, that cannot help itself and is quite content to have God reach out a helping hand to it, is the most acceptable sacrifice before God and the right way to heaven.

SL.XI.1793,14‒15
AE. 79:255-265

PRAYER: Eternal praise and thanks be Yours, heavenly Father, for Your mercy and grace and the rescue from all sins available to us in Your Gospel of salvation, as revealed to us in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: 1 JOHN 2:1‒6

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’” Matthew 18:23‒26

The message which this servant heard from his lord and master was anything but joyful. In all seriousness and deadly earnest, the master delivered a most startling and shocking judgment. The servant becomes so distressed that he falls down and begs for patience. He makes a promise exceeding all his power of fulfillment, saying, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” Here we have a picture, a portrait of those for whom the Gospel really has a message.

This is also how matters stand between us and God. When God wants to settle accounts, He sees to it that His Law is preached through which we learn to know our indebtedness. For example, He tells our conscience, “You shall have no other god but regard Me alone as your God, love Me with your whole heart, and place all your trust and reliance on Me alone.” This is the account, the register, in which what we owe Him is written down.

What does the servant do? He makes an offer, fool that he is, to pay his debt. He falls down and asks his lord to have patience with him. Nothing can save this man but the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness.

SL.XI.1791,8‒11
AE. 79:255-265

PRAYER: Lord God, when we look at our lives in light of Your holy Law, we see nothing but sin and condemnation. Our sins are truly many and great. Our one and only consolation is that as our loving heavenly Father You do not look at our sins according to Your Law, but that You regard us in accordance with the righteousness offered us in Your Gospel, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 18:18‒22

“Out of pity for him, the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” Matthew 18:27

“Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’” Matthew 18:32‒33

In the Gospel, there is nothing but sheer forgiveness. The lord of the servant forgave him his whole debt, and the lord expected that servant to forgive his fellow servant and release him from his debt. This is how God wants matters to stand in His kingdom. No one should ever be so displeased with his neighbor or angry with him that he cannot forgive his neighbor. 

As Christ points out in the context immediately preceding, even if your neighbor incurs your anger not just seven times “but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), that is, as often as it would be possible to do so, you should drop your rights and feel remit him everything. Why? Because Christ has also done this for you. 

He has initiated and set up a kingdom in which there is nothing but pure grace, a kingdom which will never end, in which everything will be forgiven you as often as you have sinned. He has sent out His Gospel which proclaims not punishment but pure grace alone. As long as this regime stands, you can always rise again, no matter how deeply and how often you have fallen away from it. 

One thing Christ expects of you, that you forgive your neighbor the sins he has committed against you. Otherwise you cannot hold your place in His kingdom of grace or enjoy the good news that your sins are forgiven you. This, in brief, is the gist and meaning of this Gospel.

SL.XI.1789,6 
AE: 79:255-265

PRAYER: We thank You from the bottom of our hearts, O God, for the full and often repeated forgiveness of our sins which we enjoy in Your kingdom of grace. May we always be found ready, in the enjoyment of Your forgiveness, to forgive our neighbor his sins, through Jesus Christ our Savior.

LESSON: MATTHEW 18:23‒35

Rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Romans 13:3

The Gospel, or the kingdom of God, is nothing else but the estate or regime in which there is nothing but the forgiveness of sins. Where there is a regime in which sins are not forgiven, there is no Gospel or kingdom of God. Therefore, the two kingdoms must be kept clearly apart: the one in which sin is punished, the other in which sin is forgiven; the one in which rights are demanded, the other in which rights are given up. In God’s kingdom where He rules through the Gospel, no rights are demanded, nor does one operate with rights. In God’s kingdom there is nothing but forgiveness, remitting, and donating, no wrath or punishment, nothing but brotherly service and benevolence.

This does not, however, abolish secular law and justice. This parable teaches us nothing about the secular realm; it teaches us only about the kingdom of God. When a secular prince rules his people in such a way that he allows no one to perpetrate an injustice and punishes evildoers, he does well and deserves praise.

We need such a regime, but we cannot get into heaven thereby. The world cannot be saved by its secular government. But secular government is necessary to prevent the world from becoming worse than it is, and to ward off and hinder evil. If there were no secular government, one man would simply swallow up the other man, and no one in the end would be able to retain life, property, wife, or child. To prevent universal destruction and ruin, God has set up the authority of the sword so that evil might be in part restrained, and that the secular authority might establish peace and prevent men from doing each other injustice and wrong. This order of things the Christian must also accept.

SL.XI.1788,4 
79:255-265

PRAYER: We thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for all the blessings which we have been privileged to enjoy in our earthly lives through good government and good rulers. Keep us ever mindful of our duties in the secular realm, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 103:13‒22

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:3‒5

Faith exercises itself in trials and temptations, and every day brings new trials. Experience does not repeat itself so often, as we see also in this Gospel (John 4:47‒54). The way in which this official set his faith working is past. These particular circumstances will not crop up again, but there will be other trials. If the same temptations present themselves, it should, of course, be easier to cope with them. The more victories one has, the more firmly one takes hold of Christ and becomes skilled in bearing everything that Christ chooses to lay upon one.

In this Gospel, you have received an example of an increasing faith. It is clear enough; take it to heart! Each Christian will always be given opportunities to practice his faith. He can also trust that God will always help him. In this way, he will have the experience of God’s help to lead him on to greater faith.

There is always something new cropping up so that we may see and grasp that our Lord God is true. If we have the trust and confidence that He will nourish and preserve our body, we can also believe that He will save our souls.

SL.XI.1770,20‒22
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: You are our loving heavenly Father, O God. As such, you can never forget the needs of Your children. Grant us ever stronger faith, tested and proved in trials and temptations, for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 1:9‒14

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. . . . He himself believed and all his household. John 4:50, 53

We must always keep ourselves in trim so that we do not just remain at the one fixed level but continually increase. Hence there must be a cross, temptation, and tribulation in which faith can grow and become strong. Even as clarity of faith increases, so also there is progress in the disciplining of the body. The stronger faith becomes, the weaker the flesh becomes. The smaller our faith, the stronger our flesh becomes, and the less success we have in putting it off.

We are inclined to think, “If I am to be always helping my neighbor, what is going to become of me? I shall be going to him for something in the end.” If we had a correct faith, one which reflects Christ in us, we would not be doubtful about having enough, but would declare in all confidence, “God will provide for us in every need.” If we give up at every little puff, how shall we face up to something really big?

Faith must be practiced to increase. Simply to go on and always remain every day what we were yesterday, and tomorrow what we are today, is not a Christian life. In this Gospel, John takes special care to point out how this royal official increased in faith.

What did he believe after he came to his house? Not that his son had recovered and been restored to him. He could see his living son before his eyes. From the way in which he had experienced Christ’s help, he now also believed that Christ would help him in any other troubles that would cross his path.

SL.XI.1768,17,19
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: Increase our faith, Lord Jesus, by removing all doubt and uncertainty from our hearts, filling them with the certainty and confidence of faith, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 11:5‒13

“Go; your son will live.” John 4:50

In the matter of faith, one must let everything go and cling to the Word alone. When we have gripped that, let the world, death, sin, hell, and every misfortune storm and rage. But if you let go of the Word, you will be doomed.

We can see this in people whose stability depends on their earthly livelihood. When there is enough in the house and the barns are full, they trust in God all right and even speak of having a gracious God. But when they have nothing left, they begin to doubt. Soon it is all over with their faith. They trust only what they actually see before their eyes. When they can see nothing there, they do not know where to look for succor. Worry and care about earthly, bodily needs drive out faith. If they had really taken hold of the Word in true faith, they would have declared, “My God lives. He has promised to care for me and nourish me. I will set to work and trust God to bring to pass what Christ has said: ‘Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well’” (Matthew 6:33).

Clinging to the Word and dispelling worry about earthly needs is the Christian way. As long as you keep your eyes fixed on your poverty, you cannot believe. This royal official also had probably formed such a view of things that he may have thought, “He will not listen to me. He has given me a rather sour reply. He does not want to come along with me; He is putting me off.”

Had he viewed the matter like this, his mission would have been an utter failure. But when he refuses to entertain such a view, he hears words of real consolation from Christ, “Go; your son will live.”

SL.XI.1767,15
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: God our Father, You ask nothing of us but faith alone and give us the assurance that You will provide us with all our needs. Keep us always strong in an unwavering faith, fixed on Your mercy and grace in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 10:14‒17

Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. John 4:50

If Jesus had told this man previously that his son was living, he could not have believed it. But now he does believe it. The Word bursts into his heart and stirs up a different faith in him so that he becomes another man. To meet the greater shock which he received, the Lord gave him greater strength. Now he must cling to what he does not see. Previously, he did not believe that Christ had the power to help his son without seeing him or going to him.

It requires quite a strong faith for a man to believe in his heart what he does not see or comprehend, something that is contrary to his understanding and reason, and to cling to the Word alone. Nothing shows its face here. He has recourse to nothing at all but to believe.

In faith one must put everything out of one’s sight except the Word of God. Anyone who lets his eyes stray anywhere else is already lost. Faith clings alone to the pure and simple Word; it will not take its eyes off the Word. It sees nothing else but the Word and knows nothing at all of its own works and merits. If the heart is not bared to faith in this way, all is lost.

Faith clings to the Word of God alone and so remains a living reality, for the Word is always a living reality. Hence, he who clings to the Word lives and abides forever, because the Word lives and abides forever.

SL.XI.1766, 12‒13
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: Lord, You want our faith at all times to be simple and pure. Grant us Your Holy Spirit to bring us to such a pure and simple faith, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 20:26‒29

Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” John 4:48

We have mentioned the outstanding faith of this royal official and pointed out that Jesus was pleased with his faith. How does this agree with what we read here? If his faith and confidence brought this official to Jesus, why does Jesus now say to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe”? He wants to show this man that his faith is not yet strong enough; he still wants to see and experience the presence of Christ.

Christ also reprimanded the disciples in the ship when the storm came upon them, saying, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26). It is as though He meant to say to them, “Where is your faith now?” Therefore, no matter how good and upright faith is, it is bound to fall short in a moment of crisis if it is not exercised and developed.

You must never think that it is enough to begin to believe. You must always exercise a very watchful care to remain established in faith; otherwise, it will decline. You must take precautions to retain the treasure which you have obtained. The devil is always using his cunning and power to tear this treasure from your heart.

The increase of faith is as strong as its beginning, and probably even stronger. But it is all God’s work. Like infant milk, faith at first is sweet and small. When some real blasts arise and assail faith, God must strengthen it; otherwise, it will not stand up to the blows. It is Christ’s intention here to strengthen this official’s faith with the remark. “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

SL.XI.1764,8‒9
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: Strengthen our faith, O Lord, so that with our whole hearts we trust in the promises and assurances of Your Word and saving Gospel, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 4:13‒25

At Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. John 4:46‒47

Scripture teaches that there must be increase and progress in faith. It is quite true that you have Christ by faith, even if your treasure is wrapped only in a poor piece of cloth. But you must still make an effort to retain it and not lose it.

This royal official, whoever he was (I think he was a servant of King Herod), had advanced so far in his faith that he believed that if only he could persuade Jesus to come to his house, his son would certainly receive all the help he needed. He had heard the Gospel concerning Christ, namely, that he was ready to help everyone who was brought to Him and refused His goodness to no one. This good news his faith grasped; it compelled him to go to Jesus. If he had felt in his heart that no one could really be certain that Jesus would help him, he would not have come to Him. It is quite certain that prior to this he had made up his mind and firmly believed that Jesus would help him.

It is the nature and character of faith to build up a picture in a man’s heart which reflects the goodness of Christ. The write of Hebrews says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1), that is, of good things hoped for from God. The faith of this man is of such a kind that if he had continued in it he would certainly have been saved thereby. The Lord was certainly pleased with this man’s faith.

SL.XI.1764,6‒7
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You have given us countless examples of the riches of Your goodness toward us in Your holy Word and especially in Your Gospel. Grant us at all times steadfastness of faith and trust, that we may always believe Your promises and assurances with our whole hearts, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 4:47‒54

One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Ephesians 4:5

You are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

This Gospel sets before us an example of faith. St. John reminds us in no less than three places that this official believed in Jesus. We can easily understand, therefore, how someone might feel inclined to ask what kind of faith this man had, seeing that the evangelist seems to make so much of it. We have said so much about faith and the Gospel in our sermons, that I think we should understand it very well. But because it tends to crop up again and again, we must look at it quite frequently.

In the first place, as I have frequently stated, faith, through the Gospel, brings the whole of the Lord Jesus Christ to men with all His blessings. One Christian has just as much as any other Christian. A child baptized today has no less than St. Peter and all the saints in heaven. We are all alike in faith. One man has the treasure as fully and completely as another man.

This Gospel also speaks of the increase of faith. This, it would seem, introduces differences in faith. Although faith enjoys Christ and all His blessings fully, it must always be cultivated and practiced so that a man becomes quite sure of it and holds fast to his treasure. Here there is a difference between two positions, between the man who has something and the man who takes a good hold of it, that is, between a strong faith and a weak faith.

A treasure as great as the one offered to us in the Gospel must be grasped firmly and kept so that it is not lost carelessly or taken away from us. The treasure is certainly mine even if it is wrapped up in a poppy leaf, but it is not as well kept as when it is locked in an iron chest.

SL.XI.1762,1‒3
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: We thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for the mercy and grace You have shown us in bestowing upon us all the blessings of Your kingdom. Keep us ever mindful of the treasures that we enjoy in Your kingdom, and grant that we ever cling to them with all our heart, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: ACTS 5:1‒11

“Everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.” Matthew 22:4

“Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? Matthew 22:12

In order to provide guests for the marriage feast, the king’s servants must never cease to continue with their proclamation, inviting all whom they meet to come to the marriage feast. The king wants a full table at this feast. The most important, holy, and mighty people who were invited first would not come. As Luke tells the parable, the king then sent out his servants to invite “the poor and maimed and blind and lame” (Luke 14:21). These are the heathen, who were not numbered among God’s chosen people, had nothing about which to become presumptuous, and were quite glad to accept the invitation extended to them.

On inspecting the guests, the king found a scoundrel amongst the crowd, sitting at the table, whom he quickly recognized and condemned. He did not have a wedding garment. He had not come to this marriage out of any feeling of respect, but to disgrace the bridegroom and the king who had invited him. By this man is indicated those who are numbered among true Christians, who hear the Gospel and are to be found in the external fellowship of the Church but who merely make a pretense of accepting the Gospel in hypocrisy.

Here we see that the Church on earth, considered according to its external fellowship, is a congregation of such as hear the true teaching of the Gospel of Christ, and believe and confess it. They also have the Holy Spirit who sanctifies them and works in them through the Word and Sacrament. Among these, however, there are still to be found some false Christians and hypocrites.

SL.XI.1759,29‒30
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Lord God, You have told us very clearly in Your Word that only the pure in heart will see You. Give us such singleness of heart and mind that we may always serve You in spirit and truth, without any hypocrisy, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6‒13

This is a great mystery, and I take it to mean Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:32

It is always our own old Adam, the corrupted nature of man, which prevents our heart from fully recognizing the joy and consolation which should be ours as members of Christ’s kingdom. It is, and in some respects remains, a mystery, a secret, hidden, deep, concealed, and incomprehensible. That is also why Paul calls all this “a great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32). But it is nevertheless something great, excellent, and wonderful.

It is something mysterious, not only to the blind, foolish world which never even thinks of these high spiritual matters and does not understand them, but also to the beloved apostles and outstanding Christians who find that there is quite enough to learn and to believe. No matter how long they concern themselves with these matters, preach about them, and search them out, they are compelled to confess that there is a mystery in these matters for them in this life. Even St. Paul speaks quite freely about the limitations imposed on his understanding by the weakness of his flesh. He says, “I am carnal, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions” (Romans 7:14‒15). David, too, raises complaints in many of his psalms. But there will be no mysteries in the future life, where we shall see without any coverings or darkness, and live in eternal joy.

In this present life, it can still remain in some respects a hidden, concealed spiritual marriage which one cannot see with one’s eyes or grasp with one’s reason. Only faith can grasp these matters, faith which clings to the Word alone which tells us about these things and which we may be able to grasp only weakly here because of the perversity of our flesh.

SL.XI.1753,14
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: There are many things in Your Word, especially in Your Gospel of salvation, heavenly Father, which are mysteries and beyond our understanding. Give us at all times the faith to accept Your Word and to believe it with our whole heart, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: PHILIPPIANS 4:4‒7

“Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22

We must learn to accept and to believe the Word. Christ Himself proclaims this Word to us, and God has commanded us to believe it as the truth. To reject this Word is tantamount to calling Christ a liar. We must learn to believe and trust the Word despite what our feelings may be inclined to suggest to us.

If you are to believe the Word, you cannot cling to what your own thoughts or feelings may suggest. You must cling to God’s Word, no matter how little you actually feel or experience it. If you are a person who realizes his need and wretchedness, and have a hearty desire to participate in the consolation and love of Christ, give your ears and heart to Christ. Take hold of the comforting picture presented in the Gospel (Matthew 22:1‒14), in which He shows that He wants you to acknowledge Him and believe in Him. You can be sure, He has an even deeper love and concern for you than any earthly bridegroom has for his beloved bride. On the other hand, He expects such a heartfelt confidence and joy from you towards Himself that it exceeds that of any bride for her bridegroom.

We could all probably find any amount of cause here to reprehend our unbelief and declare, “If such warm, heartfelt confidence and joy can be found between a bride and bridegroom, after all a rather insignificant and transient matter, why do I not find greater joy in my godly and faithful Savior Christ, who gave Himself for me as my very own possession? What a wretched thing this unbelief is! It keeps my heart from being full of laughter and eternal joy.”

SL.XI.1752,13
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Lord, remove from us all diffidence, lukewarmness, and unbelief, and confirm us in the full joy of salvation, which is always ours in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 19:1‒6

Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body. Ephesians 5:28‒30

The love of a man and woman in marriage is a parable or a picture of the great, hidden, but wonderful union of Christ with His Church. All believers are members of that Church, and, as St. Paul says, they are members of Christ’s body (Ephesians 5:30), of His flesh and bones, as in the beginning, at the creation, the woman was taken from the man.

What a great, unfathomable, and unspeakable love God must have for us for the divine nature thus to become united with us and merged with our flesh and blood, for God’s Son truly to become one flesh and one body with us and to receive us into such a lofty status! He is not merely content to become our brother; He also becomes our bridegroom, turns to us and gives us as our very own possession all His divine blessings, wisdom, righteousness, life, strength, and power. Yes, we are even destined to become “partakers of the divine nature,” as St. Peter declares (2 Peter 1:4). All this He wants us to believe.

We have had this great honor and many blessings conferred upon us so that we should joyfully and in all confidence take comfort in this Lord like a bride in her bridegroom’s property and honor. Christ’s Christendom is, therefore, wife and queen in heaven and on earth; for she is called the bride of God who is Lord of all the creatures. In the highest manner possible, He gives authority and power over sin, death, the devil, and hell.

SL.XI.1750,8
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be Yours, O Lord, for the wonderful love You have shown to us and bestowed upon us in the gift of Your Son. May we ever maintain the tie of love which unites us with Him, and experience all the joys of full and free salvation in His name. Amen.

LESSON: 1 TIMOTHY 4:1‒15

He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22

Wherever the estate of marriage lives up to its name and you have what may be called a proper marriage with man and wife getting on well with each other, there is, first of all, true mutual trust and confidence on both sides.

Among other praise which Solomon bestows on a pious wife, he notes it as something especially praiseworthy that “the heart of her husband trusts in her” (Proverbs 31:11). He can rely on her, entrust his body and life, property and honor to her.

On the other hand, the wife’s heart is also attached to her husband; he is her greatest and most precious treasure on this earth. She knows that she can rely on him for honor, protection, and help in all her needs.

Such a united, perfectly mutual and constant trust of the heart is not to be found among other persons and estates as between a master and servant, a woman and her maid, not even between parents and children. For in all these cases, love is not equal in strength, not as completely mutual, and does not remain such a constant bond as it does in the estate of marriage ordained by God.

This has been God’s intention from the beginning, for He said after the creation of Eve, “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

SL.XI.1749,6
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, already at the creation of the world You ordained the estate of marriage for man as one of his choicest and richest blessings. May all who are Your children and members of Your kingdom always regard this estate as something very precious and experience in it the true joy that you intended men to find in it, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: ISAIAH 61:10‒11

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast.” Matthew 22:2‒3

The Lord Jesus Christ portrays the kingdom of heaven for us in this parable in a most loving and comforting manner. He tells us that in some respects there is resemblance between what happens in the kingdom of heaven and at a royal marriage feast. At such a marriage feast, the king’s son is given a bride, and it is a scene of the highest joy and splendor with many being invited to share in the joy.

Among all the parables by which God illustrates Christ’s kingdom for us, this is a choice and lovely picture. Christianity or the Christian estate is called a marriage, or a marriage union, in which God Himself chooses a Church here on earth for His Son which He, on His part, receives to Himself as His own bride.

Here, by means of our own life and experience, God wants to explain and indicate, as in a mirror, what we Christians have in Christ. Through the most common estate on this earth, that estate in which we were begotten, brought up, and have lived ourselves, he preaches a daily sermon and exhorts us to remember and to think of this great mystery, as St. Paul calls it in Ephesians 5:32.

St. Paul tells us that the union of a man and his wife in marriage, as ordained by God, should be for us an important, beautiful, and wonderful sign and a comprehensible, though spiritual, picture which demonstrates and indicates something special, outstanding, and important, something hidden and incomprehensible to human reason, namely, Christ and His Church.

SL.XI.1748,5
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our beloved Savior, You have assured us in so many ways of Your unceasing love for us, and have proved it in Your suffering and death on the cross. Abide with us with all Your love, now and forevermore. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 22:1‒14

The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17

Christ forms the Christianity which He has brought into being in such a way that He calls it, and all that has reference to its sway here on earth, the kingdom of heaven. He does this to indicate that through the Gospel He has called a people for Himself on earth and separated them from the rest of the world. He does not call it a kingdom because He wants it to be fashioned and ordered just like any other external, secular regime, with worldly dominion, authority, goods, and the maintenance of external, secular righteousness, discipline, defense, and peace. There has been plenty of this set up from time immemorial, and this secular rule has been entrusted to man and left to the best of his abilities. Through sin, however, secular authority has been weakened and corrupted so that conditions are never quite as they should be, and a poor, wretched, and weak earthly regime is as weak and transient as this body of ours, this maggot-sack, and never continues any longer, even under the best of conditions, than bodily needs and conditions allow.

Over and above all this, God has ordered and set up His own heavenly regime for Himself, after making Himself known in His unfathomable grace and giving us His Word in addition. In this way, He has prepared and gathered together a people for Himself and saved them from His wrath, eternal death, and sin. They had fallen into this wretched condition through sin and were altogether unable to help themselves out of their troubles by any human wisdom, counsel, or might. In His grace, however, God leads them to a true knowledge of Himself, whereby they praise and glorify Him forever.

This is what Christ calls the kingdom of heaven

SL. XI.1747,2‒3
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Give us at all times a true and correct understanding of the nature and purpose of Your Church, heavenly Father, in which You bestow heavenly blessings upon us through Your Holy Spirit, given us in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 32:1‒5

“Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He then said to the paralytic—“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. Matthew 9:4‒8

If there were no human being on earth who could forgive us our sins, and there were only laws and works, what a feeble, wretched thing our poor, afflicted conscience would be! But now that God has filled every mouth so that it can say to its neighbor, “Your sins are forgiven you, no matter where you may be,” a real jubilee year has dawned for all men.

As a result of this, we should adopt a bold stance over against sin. When we encounter a brother who is in fear and trembling because of his sins, we should tell the poor man quite confidently: “Be joyful and assured, my brother, your sins are forgiven you! Although I cannot give you the Holy Spirit and faith, I can nevertheless proclaim them to you. If you believe, you will receive.” And those to whom Christ gives the Holy Spirit and faith, thank and praise God as the people did in the Gospel (Matthew 9:1‒8).

This also means that God has given man the power and authority to forgive sins. This is extending the kingdom of Christ, healing and establishing a troubled conscience. We do this through the Word. God grant that we may grasp it in this way.

SL.XI.1723,31

PRAYER: Blessed indeed are we, heavenly Father, in the knowledge and assurance of the forgiveness of sins. Let us never underrate this glorious message, even when it is proclaimed to us by one of our brethren, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:196-210.

LESSON: PSALM 130

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:22‒23

The Pharisees knew quite well that it was God’s work alone to forgive sins. They regarded Christ as a blasphemer because He whom they regarded as nothing more than a man presumed to forgive sins.

Sin is forgiven in two ways. First, sin is driven out of the heart and grace is poured in. This God alone can do. Secondly, the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. This one man can do for another man.

Christ here does both. He gives the paralytic the forgiveness of sins inwardly in his heart, and He proclaims the forgiveness of his sins outwardly to him by means of His Word. This is the forgiveness of sins by means of the Word and the proclamation and public preaching of this internal forgiveness.

This power belongs to all who are baptized Christians. Hereby they praise Christ and carry the Word of the forgiveness of sins in their mouth so that they can and may say whenever they so desire and as often as it is necessary, “Take heart; your sins are forgiven! Believe it; be quite sure of it!” and whatever other words they choose to use.

This proclamation will not cease among Christians until the last day: Your sins are forgiven you; take heart and be assured!” These words a Christian always has in his mouth, and he openly proclaims the Word in which sins are forgiven. In this way, every Christian has power and authority to forgive sins.

SL.XI.1722,28‒29

PRAYER: We bless and praise You, O Lord, for the wonderful privilege You have conferred on us as Your children, to announce the full and free forgiveness of sins to sinners. May we ever remain conscious of this privilege and practice it in love towards our neighbor, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:196-210.

LESSON: MARK 9:38‒41

“Whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42

We must spread the Word very diligently and energetically among our fellowmen. I must eat and drink, adorn and clothe myself, not merely to preserve my life but to spread the Word. Wherever the best interests of God’s Word are not the determining factor in a Christian’s life, that life is not as it should be. I must help men in regard to their conscience according to the Word. I must provide my neighbor with food and drink and do all I can for him to assist him in the most important matter of all, the settlement of his conscience.

This is the service that his friends render to the paralytic in this week’s Gospel. They certainly render him a bodily service or work, but they are also at the same time instrumental in the settlement of his soul. Hence, if I feed a hungry man, give a thirsty man a drink, clothe a naked man, and so forth, I do it not only to give him this bodily help, but in the hope that by these works I may also influence him to turn to Christ and to win him for Christ.

These works are performed outside of the kingdom, for those not in the kingdom, in the hope of bringing them into the kingdom. Whether you are man, woman, or child, you should know that Christ gives you His Gospel and brings you into His kingdom so that you should make it the one aim of your whole life to help others, the sick and the needy, in the hope of bringing them also into Christ’s kingdom or confirming them in their Christian faith.

SL.XI.1719,22‒23

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, it is Your will that we should readily help our fellowmen in every need and wherever possible make Your wonderful goodness known to them through us. Enable us at all times to let our light shine so that men may glorify You, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:196-210.

LESSON: PSALM 103:1‒13

“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25

The forgiveness of sins is a very short phrase, but it comprises the whole kingdom of Christ. Men always have sins, but they must be recognized and acknowledged. When I have recognized them, forgiveness and grace are readily available. Before forgiveness enters the picture, there is absolutely nothing but sin. I am compelled to acknowledge this. I feel and know that all that is in me is blindness. Without this acknowledgment, the forgiveness of sins will not hold its ground. We never fall short in the matter of sins, but we do fall short in our acknowledgment of sins. The forgiveness of sins follows the acknowledgment of sins.

There is, however, quite a difference between God’s forgiveness of our sins and our forgiveness of our neighbor’s sins. When we forgive our neighbor, we may recall that sin again subsequently and throw it in our neighbor’s face. When God forgives us our sin it is something much higher. God no longer condemns us; He abandons all His wrath. Indeed, He never thinks of our sins again as He reminds us in this text from Isaiah.

And having abandoned His wrath, He also removes hell, the devil, death, and every misfortune which the devil may bring along. Instead of wrath He gives us grace, consolation, salvation, and every good thing that He Himself is.

SL.XL.1715,12

PRAYER: There is always forgiveness with You, O God, as You assure us times without number in Your holy Word. Implant this wonderful truth in our hearts in such a manner that we trust in it and believe in it implicitly, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:196-210.

LESSON: LUKE 12:32‒34

To them [His saints] God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

The kingdom of Christ is of such a kind that we waive all our glorying and boldness in our dependence on God’s grace. All other works are free. We must never make them matters of any compulsion. Nor must we imagine that we can become Christians from our works, but with our works we reach down and serve the interests of our neighbor. Hence we should listen carefully to what this week’s Gospel (Matthew 9:1‒8) has to tell us, and take a firm grasp of its statements and impress them on our hearts so that this light, these words and this lamp, may shine forth brightly in us, that thereby we may instruct others.

Jesus says to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.” We should take hold of these and similar words and grasp them with our hearts, because they are words of pure grace alone. There is nothing of any work here, suggesting that a conscience should be forced to attempt to do something meritorious. And so you must fortify yourself with these words against false prophets.

We have planted the Word to a certain extent. This the devil cannot abide. He never sleeps. The caterpillars and the beetles will come to defile what we have planted. And so it must be. For Christ wants to prove His Word, to carry out a test to see who has grasped it or not. Let us, then, remain on the correct path which leads to the kingdom of Christ, not operating with works and legal pressures and compulsion, but with the words of the Gospel alone, “Be joyful, take heart, your sins are forgiven.”

SL.XI.1714,9‒10

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we poor sinners are blessed, indeed, in the assurance of the forgiveness of sins which You have emphasized so much for us in Your Gospel of salvation. Give us a faith which always clings wholly and solely to the forgiveness of sins where You have provided it for us, in and through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:196-210.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 2:13‒19

It is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

If the kingdom of Christ is to be extended, you must not bring the Law into your calculations or have any truck with works. It is quite out of character to say to men, “Go out and run here and there to atone for your sins; you must hold this and do that if you want to get rid of your sins.” In diametrical opposition to anything in the shape of law and all works, we must assure men that their sins are forgiven by pure grace alone. To try to force them into the kingdom of Christ by the Law is putting yourself outside of this kingdom.

It is true that this truth may reach our ears and even roll off our tongues, but only too often it has not really penetrated our hearts. Sin always clings to us very closely (Hebrews 12:1) so that we are compelled to confess with Paul, “I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Romans 7:18‒19). This is how it will be until at death we pass into life eternal. 

Because there is always so much weakness, failure, and sin among Christians, it is often claimed by radicals and enthusiasts that faith and love are not enough. They insist on more radical procedures and decisions, and often claim the special patronage of the Holy Spirit in this connection. The devil’s weeds always accompany any planting of the Gospel. See to it that you always retain and maintain a healthy understanding of Christ’s kingdom and its teachings.

SL.XI.1712,4‒5

PRAYER: We are deeply conscious, heavenly Father, of our sinfulness and unworthiness, and in this respect must ever stand as beggars before You. But we have been emboldened by the assurances of Your Gospel of salvation to approach Your throne of grace in all confidence and assurance. This we do in the name and for the sake of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:196-210.

LESSON: MATTHEW 9:1‒8

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:2

These words in a brief summary tell us what the kingdom of Christ really is. It is the kingdom in which our hearts are touched by a sweet voice bringing us maternal and paternal words, “Your sins are forgiven.” For a correct understanding, we must not regard the kingdom of Christ otherwise than the way in which we should live in relation to God. In this connection, you in your love will know that the most important thing is to be able to quieten the troubled conscience so that we know how we stand with God and our neighbor.

The kingdom of Christ, then, is a kingdom in which there is consolation pure and simple, and the forgiveness of sins. It is not just a matter of words proclaimed to us setting forth future blessings, but of realized facts, as we see from the example set before us in this Gospel. Jesus did not merely speak these words into the paralytic’s ears. He actually forgave this man his sins and conferred real consolation upon him.

I have often stated, and I say it here again, that you should make a serious effort to understand the nature and the peculiar character of Christ’s kingdom correctly. We know only too well how reason in all respects is inclined to fall away from faith and the correct knowledge of Christ’s kingdom to reliance on works. But in this Gospel you see no works at all, no merit. There is no question here of any commandment or law. There is nothing else here than the offer of Christ’s help, His consolation and grace. The paralytic experiences nothing but Christ’s sheer friendship.

SL.XI.1712,2‒3

PRAYER: Gracious and merciful Father, You have given us many comforting and assuring consolations in Your Gospel, and none more comforting than the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. May we never reject these assurances or belittle them in any way, but ever cling to them, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:196-210.

LESSON: ROMANS 5:18‒21

Now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. Romans 7:6

Where true, genuine love of God flows from a man’s heart, there is also true resignation to God’s holy will. Such a heart should readily declare, “Lord God, I am your creature; do with me as You will. I know that all is for the best, because I am Yours. This much I know. And if it is Your will that I should die forthwith, or suffer some great misfortune, I will accept whatever is Your will with my whole heart. I will never regard my life, honor, welfare, or whatever I own, as higher and greater than Your will. For my whole life, I shall be pleased to do Your will.”

You will never find anyone who can make such a declaration, one who has given full obedience to God’s commandment, in this Gospel (Matthew 22:34‒46). For in accordance with the requirements of this commandment, the whole of the life which you live in this body in your five senses, and whatever you do in this body, must all be done to the greater honor and praise of God who says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Where is there a single man who can make such a claim?

But thanks be to God! Christ is set before us and given to us by His Father to free us from our sins, death, an evil conscience, and especially also from all the accusations of the Law. If we cling to Christ, we are acquitted and free from the Law and all its demands.

SL.XI.1695,24,28,30

PRAYER: Thanks and praise, heavenly Father, for Your mercy and grace in the gift of Your Son, who by His suffering and death has freed us from sin, death, and the condemnation of Your holy Law, for the glory of Your mercy and grace, in and through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:169-183.

LESSON: ROMANS 8:1‒11

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1‒2

Christ wants to show us in this week’s Gospel (Matthew 22:34‒36) that the Law is preached correctly only when we learn from it that we cannot fulfill it, and that on the basis of the Law we are really the devil’s own children. Experience teaches us this, and it is also indicated in various parts of Holy Scripture, especially in the epistles of Paul. Paul says in Romans, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7‒8).

So consider this commandment in the Gospel very carefully, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Concentrate on this commandment and really make a serious effort to keep it. Do some searching here! Study the nature of the commandment! You will find, or course, that you are far from fulfilling it, that is, from accepting with your whole heart what God wants from you on the basis of this commandment.

It is sheer hypocrisy for anyone to crawl away into some corner and think, “I will love God,” or “O how I love God, my Father! How well disposed I am to Him!” and similar self-congratulations. It is not difficult for us to fulfill the Law on our own terms, especially if we can persuade ourselves that we enjoy His favor. But when misfortune intervenes and opposition is encountered, it can be a very different story. Then we soon lose sight of God as our loving Father.

SL.XI.1694,22

PRAYER: We thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for the victory over all sin, including all our sins against Your holy Law, which You have provided for us in and through our Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:169-183.

LESSON: ROMANS 7:7‒11

I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Romans 7:22‒23

Be quite sure of this, that reason can never understand the Law or fulfill it, even though it may actually know what the Law requires of man. When do you do to someone else what you would like him to do to you? Who really loves his enemy in his heart? Who is glad to die? Who suffers disgrace and shame gladly? Show me a man who would prefer to hear an evil report about himself or to live in poverty?

Nature and human reason avoid such misfortunes as much as possible. They shun them and are alarmed and dismayed by them. Human nature, moreover, will never be able to accomplish what God requires of us in this Law—namely, that we resign our will to God’s will, that we renounce our own understanding of matters, our own will, might, and powers, and say with all our heart, “Your will be done!”

You will certainly never find a single individual who loves God with his whole heart and his neighbor as himself. It may well happen that two people who are bosom friends manage to get along in a friendly manner. But there can also be hypocrisy in such relationships. They often last only as long as no injury intervenes to break up the relationship. Then you will see soon enough how much you love that special friend and whether you are flesh or spirit. The Law requires of us that we should always be really friendly towards someone who has injured us—but who keeps the Law to this extent?

SL.XI.1694,21

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, forgive us our many sins against Your holy Law, in Christ’s name and for His sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:169-183.

LESSON: GALATIANS 2:15‒16

It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. Romans 2:13

How many are there who really understand the commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”? Few, indeed, and there are fewer still who actually keep and observe this commandment. How are they to keep what they do not know? We are blind, and our nature is also completely blinded. Human reason hardly knows less about anything than it knows about what God wants in His Law.

Christ confers a benefit upon the Pharisees and lawyers in two respects. First, He removes their blindness and teaches them what the Law is. Secondly, He teaches them how impossible it is for them to fulfill the commandments. He removes their blindness and teaches them what the Law is by showing them that the Law is basically love.

Reason cannot understand this today, even as the Jews also failed in this respect. For if reason had been able to grasp this, then, to be sure, the Pharisees and the lawyers would have grasped it, for they were the best and cleverest men among the Jews of that time. They thought that the fulfillment of the Law depended solely upon the performance of the external works of the Law, whether they were performed willingly or unwillingly. They never really faced up to their inner blindness, greed, and wicked hardness of heart. They imagined themselves to be fully conversant with all the requirements of the Law and regarded themselves as very fine fellows, holy and godly. As Jesus says, “If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). No one can fulfill the Law unless he has been completely renewed.

SL.XI.1693,19‒20

PRAYER: O God, our transgressions of Your holy Law are many and grievous. Eternal praise and thanks be to You for the obedience our Savior rendered to Your Law on our behalf and in our stead, an obedience now reckoned to us for His sake and in His name. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:169-183.

LESSON: PSALM 40:1-8

“Blessed are those who keep his (the Lord's) testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.” Psalm 119:2 

Man's unbelief has invented and set up countless substitutes for the two main commandments of the Law, resulting in forms of ungodliness which Scripture describes as "grieving" God and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; Isaiah 63:10). Should not God be angry with me when He commands me to show love to my neighbor and I proceed to follow my own dreams and those of other men? It is just as if a housefather orders his servant to do some plowing and the servant goes off and washes dishes. Would not a housefather be justified in becoming angry with such a servant? 

This is also the case with God. He wants us to obey His commandments. We should regard them more highly than the commandments of men. He wants all commandments to relate to love so that they may all be comprised in the two commandments of which Jesus speaks in the Gospel, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind ... and your neighbor as yourself.” If you want to do something that pleases God, do it in such a way that it flows from a heart of love. 

On the other hand, it is easy to conclude that all works are nothing which do not flow from love, or which are against love. No commandments or laws should ever be given any validity excepting such as put the law of love into practice. 

SL.XI.1692,16-17 

PRAYER: Give us grace, heavenly Father, to keep the greatest of all the commandments by loving you with our whole heart, and soul, and mind, and the second commandment which is like it, by loving one another for your sake, in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:169-183

LESSON: 1 SAMUEL 16:1-7

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus means to say here: He who has kept these two commandments dealing with the love of God and the love of one's neighbor, has everything, and he has also fulfilled the Law. For the whole Law and the prophets concentrate on these two issues, namely, how one should love God and how one should love one's neighbor.

There may be those who feel inclined to wonder how everything depends on these two commandments when people like the Jews were given circumcision and many other laws which cannot so easily be related to these two chief commandments. In replying, we should note first of all how Christ explains obedience to the Law. He says that we must obey it from the heart.

For Christ, obedience to the Law is something spiritual. He who does not obey the Law from his heart and tackle it with his spirit, will never fulfil it. Hence the Lord here sets before the lawyers the basis and kernel of the Law, saying that the chief commandment of the Law is to love God from the heart and one's neighbor as oneself.

It follows from this that anyone who does not keep the Law from the heart is not really circumcised, does not fast and does not pray, even if he does perform such acts externally. External performances without obedience of the heart are nothing before God. God looks at the heart and not merely at the external work or appearance. It does not help a man to perform any number of works if his heart is not engaged thereby.

SL.XI.1687,4-5

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, grant your people grace to serve you with pure hearts and minds in obedience to your holy Law, and with firm confidence in your Gospel, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:169-183

LESSON: MATTHEW 22:34-46

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Psalm 119:18

Today's Gospel supplies answers to two questions. The first is the one which the lawyer puts to Jesus on behalf of the Pharisees, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" The second is the question which the Lord Himself puts to the Pharisees and scribes, "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?"

These two questions also concern us Christians. For anyone who wants to be a Christian must be well-informed in these two respects: first, what the Law is and what is its function; secondly, who Christ is and what he should expect from Him.

Christ here interprets the Law for the Pharisees and points out to them what is its sum. He answers in such a way that they are effectively silenced by His replies, and finish up knowing quite precisely what the Law is and what Christ is.

From this it follows that where unbelief is, although it has the appearance of wisdom and holiness before the world, it nevertheless remains folly and unrighteousness before God, especially where there is no knowledge of the two questions being discussed here. For he who does not know what the function of the Law really is, and what he should expect from Christ, certainly knows nothing of the true wisdom of God, no matter how wise or clever he may be.

SL.XI.1686,1-2

PRAYER: O God, our heavenly Father, make your holy will known to us with such clarity on the basis of your holy Law that we may cling ever more firmly to our Savior, who has fulfilled this law for us. We ask this in the name and for the sake of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:169-183

LESSON: MATTHEW 20:20‒28

“The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:13‒14

St. Augustine adds a gloss at this point. I wish he had left it somewhere on the way because it smells of Adam’s cask. He says, “A ruler should not push the matter of humility too far lest the prestige of his government may be weakened thereby.” That is speaking like a heathen and worldling and not as a Christian. But we can forgive him this mistake; not even in the saints is everything perfect.

The sum and substance of this Gospel, then, is: Love and necessity are above all laws, and there is no law which should not be slanted and bent according to love. If this cannot be done with any particular law, it should be abolished, even if it has been set up by an angel from heaven. All this should be of great service in strengthening our hearts and conscience. On this basis, the Lord teaches us here how to humble ourselves and subject ourselves to others.

SL 11:1685 (27‒28)
AE 79:154‒161

PRAYER: Lord God, always look upon us in Your mercy and grace, and empty us of the false pride that so easily clings to us as children of Adam. Grant that we may walk in the paths of true humility, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 138:1‒6

“When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, “Give place to this man,” and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.” Luke 14:8‒10

This is an illustration for all of us; we must all heed the instruction given here, whether we are high or lowly. Jesus reproaches the Pharisees and the bigwigs who want to sit at the top and are prepared to trample over others to get there. Such people are always looking for places of honor. When such a place is offered us by someone with authority to offer it to us, we can accept it. Even so, there is never any excuse for trampling over others to get there.

There are those, however, who think it possible to combine the spiritual and earthly realms and that therefore it is enough to be humble in heart and still make for the place of honor. True humility of heart must express itself in outward works, otherwise it is a feigned humility. Each of us should always go and sit in the lowest place. We should throw ourselves at the feet of others rather than try to force our way to the top, unless we are forced by circumstances beyond our control to accept such a seat of honor. If we follow this course, all will be well with us. If we do not learn this lesson, we shall ultimately be put to shame.

SL 11:1684 (25‒26)
AE 79:154‒161

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, by precept and example You have taught us that in Your kingdom the greatest of all is always the servant of all, and that the humble shall be exalted. Make us content to take with gladness the lowest place and, if it pleases You to call us higher, preserve within us a simple and humble heart, to Your glory and honor. Amen.

LESSON: 1 PETER 4:7‒10

“Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” Luke 14:5

He means to say here, “You fools! Are you not quite mad and foolish? You do this for an ox or an ass, worth perhaps a few florins; much more should you be prepared to do it for your neighbor when he has need of your help, regardless of whether it happens to be a Sabbath day.” For the Sabbath, as He points out elsewhere, was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Hence, the Son of Man is lord also of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27‒28).

Laws like the Sabbath laws received great emphasis among the Jews; their kings also laid great stress on them. They had to be strictly kept. When the prophets appeared and tried to interpret the Law in accordance with love, insisting that this is also how Moses meant the Law to be understood, there were false prophets at the royal courts who stuck fast to the text, claiming, “There it stands written; it is God’s Word, and it dare not be interpreted otherwise.” No matter how loudly the prophets insisted on the correct understanding, they encountered nothing but deafened ears. Not only this, but the kings, poor blind men that they were, started up and killed one prophet after the other.

Ecclesiastical authorities follow much the same procedure even today. If one tells such people that we are not obliged to obey all their laws but only those slanted towards love, they immediately cry out, “Heretic, heretic!” And if they can do so, they put such a heretic to death, as they have already done quite extensively.

SL 11:1680 (15‒16)
AE 79:154‒161

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, You have shown us extensively in Your Word, but more especially in Your Gospel of salvation, that with You love is always everything. Implant Your love in our hearts that we may live by it in our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1‒13

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7

We should slant all our laws in such a way that they always bring out the necessity of love. When they are of service and useful to our neighbor, we must keep them; when they are harmful, we are to let them go.

Take a rather crude example! Supposing a housefather had the rule that in his house fish, meat, wine, and beer must be eaten and drunk as it is available and procurable. And supposing that one of his servants became sick and could no longer drink beer or wine, or eat meat or fish, but that the housefather was not prepared to allow him any change of diet, saying, “You know what the rule is! It’s that or nothing else!” What would you think of such a housefather? He should be put on a permanent diet of hellebore to purge his brains!

If he had any sense at all, he would simply say, “It is quite true that today, according to my rule or ordinance, we should be eating meat or fish. But because this food does not agree with you, eat what you like!”

David illustrates this point when he ate the bread of the Presence which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests (Matthew 12:3). Neither David nor his servants were consecrated. Did he and his servants sin then in eating the consecrated bread which only the priests were permitted to eat (1 Samuel 21:1‒6)? God’s command was quite clear. David did not sin here. Why? Because the higher law, the law of love, compelled him to act in this way.

In a Christian context, all laws must be slanted or bent according to the love of one’s neighbor. Where necessity demands it, love knows no laws.

SL 11:1678 (10,13)
AE 79:154‒161

PRAYER: O God, our heavenly Father, pour out Your love into our hearts in such a manner that it always flows over into our lives in fervent love for one another, in and through Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 15:1‒9

Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” Luke 14:3

The lawyers and Pharisees, of course, did not believe that it was lawful to heal or to do anything else on the Sabbath day. In this Gospel (Luke 14:1‒11), Jesus shows them that all laws, divine or human, bind us only as far as love permits. For Christians, love must always make the final decision in the interpretation of all laws. Where there is no love, all is over. The Law can only be harmful, no matter what the situation may be.

It is even a principle of canon law that if any law runs counter to love, it should be set aside as soon as possible. This, in a word, is stated both of divine and human commandments. The reason for this is that all laws have been enacted for the sole purpose of setting up the principle of love, as Paul also reminds us in Romans when he says, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” Likewise: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8, 10).

We owe no one anything but to love one another. If I love my neighbor, I help him, protect him, accord him his due honors, and do to him what I would have others do to me.

Therefore, since all laws should help to establish the principle of love, they must cease immediately that they run counter to love. In this Gospel, Christ’s deed of love to the man with the dropsy was far above any of the regulations pertaining to Sabbath observance.

SL 11:1677 (8‒9)
AE 79:154‒161

PRAYER: O God, let us never become so immersed in useless quibbles about rules and regulations that we forget our real duties of love to our neighbor. Keep our vision pure and unblurred, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 34:1‒10

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalm 50:14‒15

Before we can come to faith, the Gospel must be proclaimed to us. To come to faith, we must know that God is so friendly and merciful to us that He sent us His Son from heaven to help us. This our conscience must hear and believe. Even if all creatures were friendly to us, it would not help us at all in the event of God being ungracious and unfriendly to us. On the other hand, if God is satisfied with us, no creature can harm us, as Paul reminds us when he says in the Epistle to the Romans, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31). Therefore let death, the devil, hell, and all creatures rave and rage; they can harm us none.

It is the function of the Gospel graciously to portray the man to us who is none other than God Himself. From this source, our heart draws faith and a friendly confidence towards God, namely, that He will help us through life and death. We also see this in the case of the man whom Jesus cured of dropsy. He had heard of the friendliness of Jesus, and he had come to believe that Jesus would also demonstrate His friendliness and goodness as far as he was concerned. The Pharisees had Jesus before them, but they never really believed in Him; they rejected Him in unbelief. The Gospel goes out to all men in general, but not all accept it. It is often rejected.

SL 11:1676 (3‒4)
AE 79:154‒161

PRAYER: Remove from our hearts all distrust and unbelief, heavenly Father, and fill our hearts with firm confidence in Your grace, mercy, and love as promised to us and bestowed upon us in and through our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 14:1‒11

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of Mine that bears no fruit, He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” John 15:1‒7

Two main points must be considered in this Gospel. One is a point which all the Gospels have in common, and the second one is something special.

The first point, the point which all the Gospels have in common, is that they portray Christ for us, showing us who and what He is, and what we should expect from Him. In this respect the Gospels all teach us faith and love. They continually remind us of the importance of faith.

The man who had dropsy illustrates this point. He had heard something of the Gospel beforehand. Some report had probably reached him of how the Lord Jesus Christ was such a friendly, good, and kind man, helping everyone and sending no one away without help and consolation. Had he not heard such a report about Christ, he would hardly have followed Him right into the Pharisee’s house. He must have received information on Christ and heard something very encouraging about Christ and believed it.

SL 11:1674 (1‒2)
AE 79:154‒161

PRAYER: Your promises and assurances, O Lord, are always most encouraging. Stir up within our hearts the faith and trust always to accept Your promises and assurances in all confidence, for Your mercy and truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 8:28-30

For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath, for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. Isaiah 54:7-8

The poor widow in this week’s Gospel (Luke 7:11-17) is so closely beset by very great sorrow and fear that she thinks that God, heaven, earth, and everything is opposed to her. Because she looks at all this from the viewpoint of the flesh and as it appears outwardly before her eyes, she must come to the conclusion that it is impossible for her to be released from such anxiety and fear.

But when her son was awakened from death, it seemed just as if heaven and earth, wood and stone were laughing with her and that everything was rejoicing with her. She forgot all her pain and sorrow. It disappeared just like a little spark of fire is extinguished when it falls into the middle of the sea. Isaiah speaks of a “brief moment.” Sometimes I do not see it that way, and the “brief moment” seems an eternity. But in reality, it is only “a brief moment,” and it is followed by much joy as the psalmist also reminds us, saying, “Thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). But that can still be hidden for us, and like the widow here in the Gospel, we do not see it. This deceased son is in the midst of life, for God has him in His bosom, and it was God’s intention to awaken him from death. There is a little spark of death there which proved itself his undoing for “a brief moment.” Of course, none of the people present saw it that way. But when he was restored to life again, that which was previously hidden before all the world became manifest.
SL 11:1653 (14)

PRAYER: Your ultimate purposes, O God, are sometimes hidden from us, but we are assured that You are always concerned for our good. So direct and govern us by Your Holy Spirit that, whatever befalls us, we are nevertheless convinced that all things must work for our good, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.

LESSON: 2 TIMOTHY 1:8-10

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

In our eyes, all miracles and works of God are impossible, and it is also impossible for nature to grasp them. The reason for this is that God wants us to recognize Him as an almighty Creator who brings forth a possibility from an impossibility and makes something out of nothing.

It is impossible for me to become alive again after I have died. Even if I prayed to all the angels and saints for help in this respect, nothing would come of it. What could I hope for from my own free will here? Yet even in death I am bound to say, “I will live.” This does not take place because of anything in myself or due to myself. I know that I have a God who does not make something out of a piece of wood that might be lying before my eyes, but a God who can make a possibility out of an impossibility and something out of nothing. Otherwise, He would not be in reality the true God.

Hence, if death came to me and I could live no longer, I would still be able to say, “I am still going to live and I want to live. The death which is hovering over me is like a tiny spark of fire, and the life that I hope to live looms as large as the ocean.”

Reason cannot grasp how this comes to pass. But he who has faith knows this for certain. To the man with faith, death is as a tiny spark of fire in the middle of a great ocean of life, and the little spark is extinguished in a moment. God is almighty; and he who has faith is in God.

SL 11:1652 (12-13)

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, You are the conqueror of sin and death. In Your victory we are also conquerors of these bitter enemies. Be with us all the time of our earthly pilgrimage, especially in the hour of our death, for Your truth and name’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.

LESSON: PSALM 119:121-128

“I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.” John 14:18

The common lesson taught in all the Gospels is that we should learn from them what kind of God we have. In this week’s Gospel (Luke 7:11-17), the point that is made quite clear is that God forsakes no one. And so, He lets this widow see once again what kind of God she has. When she is forlorn and without a husband or son, Christ demonstrates to her that He is still at her side and says to her in effect, “Learn to believe and trust in God. Recognize Him to whom death and life are both alike. Be brave-hearted and courageous. Do not weep; there is no need for that.”

Then Jesus steps up, awakens the dead man, and gives him to his mother.

These and similar miracles are recorded in God’s Word that we may learn in our hearts what attitude to adopt over against God and what we should expect from Him. This woman had certainly made up her mind that she had lost her son and that it was impossible for her to receive him back again. Even if someone had assured her that within an hour her son would be alive again, she would have regarded it as impossible and declared, “It is more likely that the heavens will collapse than that my son should live again.” Before she has time to look about her, God intervenes and does what she had never even dared to regard as a possibility and restores her son to life.

Why does God follow such a course? He allows a person to fall into such danger and fear that there is no longer any hope at all of counsel or help. But it is not His intention to lead us to despair. He wants us to put our faith and trust in Him alone who can bring forth a possibility from an impossibility, something out of nothing.

SL 11:1651 (10-11)

PRAYER: As far as we are concerned, O God, You are never far off but ever ready to help us, ever at our side and along all our paths and ways. Continue to support us with Your boundless grace, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.

LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 9:10-15

O how abundant is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee, and wrought for those who take refuge in thee, in the sight of the sons of men! Psalm 31:19

In what happened to the widow at Nain, God lets us see what kind of God He is, how He regards us, and how we should regard Him.

This woman was the subject of two misfortunes. In the first place, she was a widow. This is misfortune enough for one woman. She is forlorn and alone, with no one to look to for any comfort. This is why God is often spoken of in Scripture as the God of widows and orphans.

Secondly, she has an only son who dies. This son should have been a consolation for her. But God intervenes and takes away her husband and her son. She would undoubtedly have preferred to lose her house and home, and even her own life, than this son and her husband.

God certainly makes some changes here. While her husband was alive, this woman failed to recognize what a gift a husband can be; when he died, she really recognized this for the first time. So also with her son. While he was hale and healthy, she did not recognize him as God’s good gift to her; but after he died, she really recognized for the first time what a treasure she had lost.

This is how matters stand with us. There are many people who begrudge the investment of ten florins in their child’s education. If the child dies, they suddenly change their mind and say, “Would to God that he was still alive! I would be prepared to spend hundreds of florins, anything, on him.”

SL 11:1649 (8)

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, provide us with open minds and hearts so that we always clearly and readily acknowledge the riches of Your goodness toward us and give You due thanks with grateful hearts, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.

LESSON: PSALM 86:8-15

If many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for many. Romans 5:15

At times God suffers a man to experience fear and distress, pain and sorrow. He suddenly finds himself in a world which seems to have no God. A man loses his sight; he becomes lame; he develops dropsy. God even lets him die like the widow’s son in this Gospel. All men are God’s creatures, and He can do with them as He pleases.

Why does God create or suffer such situations? He is resorting here to extreme measures to keep us ever mindful of His goodness. John reports that on one occasion Jesus and His disciples came upon a man who was “blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him’” (John 9:1-3).

He means to say, “God wants to be praised in this blind man. God sees that the treasures of the whole world do not move us. Hence, He must take some drastic action. Out of pure grace, He sets a blind man before our eyes so that we come to realize what a precious gift we possess in the gift of sight. And since we do not recognize His goodness and grace in something advantageous, we are compelled to note it and recognize it from something disadvantageous.”

This man was born blind so that men might come to their senses and declare, “Merciful God, what a precious gift and what a blessing it is to have a healthy body and a fresh countenance!” But no one takes it to heart in this way.

SL 11:1649 (7)

PRAYER: Grant us grace at all times, heavenly Father, to interpret Your blessings for what they are, acts of Your grace and mercy, so that we may both acknowledge Your mercy and grace and return You due thanks for it, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.

LESSON: PSALM 100

“Your Father who is in heaven … makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45

If I only duly considered what God has done for me in giving me my eyes, truly, a very great treasure, it would not be very surprising if I died of shame for my thanklessness in never having thanked God for this great blessing. We do not recognize the blessing and the noble treasure because it is common. But when a child has been born blind, we realize what a painful affliction of the absence of sight can be and what a precious thing even a single eye is.

A fresh, healthy countenance is certainly one of God’s good gifts to us. It serves us throughout our whole life. Without it, we would prefer to be dead. But how few there are who ever think of thanking God for something like this! Take a closer look at your body and you will find indications of God’s grace and goodness everywhere. The psalmist does not overstate the case when he says, “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord” (Psalm 33:5). He had clear eyes and depth of vision so that he could see that the whole earth was full of God’s goodness and blessings.

What moves God to bestow His goodness upon us? Have we deserved such treatment? Not at all! It is simply God’s good pleasure to cast forth His gifts and blessings upon the world in this manner. They embrace the thankless and the thankful without distinction. It annoys us when we have to part with one or two florins, or perhaps even less, and even if it is given to the poor. But how many blessings does not God shed abroad on this world daily, even when no one ever thanks Him for one of them? For that matter, who still acknowledges God’s goodness at all?

SL 11:1648 (5)

PRAYER: Your bounteous goodness and mercy towards us, heavenly Father, is altogether wonderful. Grant us at all times the ability to evaluate Your goodness correctly, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.

LESSON: LUKE 7:11-17

It depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy. Romans 9:16

In this Gospel the evangelist once again sets before us a divine miracle. In it he wants to encourage us to direct our hearts to God if we find ourselves in a situation like the one in which the widow found herself. This account was not written for the sake of this widow but for the sake of those who would hear the Gospel until the end of the world. We must also be counted among the latter.

In the first place, it should be quite obvious to all of us that the kindness and grace conferred on this woman by Christ was altogether gratuitous; she did not earn it or merit it. She goes through the city with her friends, where there is nothing but wailing and weeping. It never even entered the thought of this good woman that she would bring back her son into the city alive. This is not her desire, and she does not ask for it. Even less did she merit it. Any idea of Christ’s intervention had never occurred to her; she did not know Christ, nor did she know that He helped people. All preceding merit and preparation are ruled out here.

This has all been recorded so that we may draw a general conclusion from this which applies in the case of all benefits received from God. Just as this widow obtained a blessing freely and out of pure grace alone, solely and only because Christ was moved to pity, so we, too, receive such blessings without any merit on our part and even without seeking them. It is always God who takes the initiative. He always lays the first stone.

What is the reason for this? He takes pity on us; hence, it remains God’s grace. If our merits counted here, it would not be grace. Accordingly, as a result of this, we can say, “You are a gracious God; you do good to those who do not deserve it.”

SL 11:1646 (1-3)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your mercy and grace towards us are never-ending and always abounding. Continue to bestow Your free mercy and grace upon us, in and through our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.

LESSON: JAMES 5:1-6

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20

There are sins that bring at least some kind of joy; we get something out of them, like gluttony and drunkenness, for example. The same can also be said for fornication; it does at times provide relaxation for the people who practice it. Even anger provides a certain amount of satisfaction. The same could be claimed for other vices as well.

But covetousness or greed always claims complete and full service from its devotees. It plagues and torments its victims ceaselessly and never provides anything in the shape of pleasure or joy. There the money lies in a heap and claims your full attention and service. It defies you to buy yourself even a pint of wine out of it. Rust comes along and eats away at it, but it must not be touched; that would make this god angry. And after protecting this god for so long, the servants of this god have no more than any poor beggar.

Who brings this about? God, the Lord, arranged matters in this way. They may well be plagued with a sickness which prevents them from eating. They may have something wrong with their digestive processes so that they have no taste for food. They have weak stomachs; their lungs and liver have packed up. They suffer from this or that sickness. Here something is lacking; something else there. They never have a really pleasant hour in which to enjoy eating and drinking.

This is how those who serve mammon fare. The true God puts Himself at the service of His own and serves men; mammon never does this. He wants to enjoy perpetual quiet and receive service from men.
SL 11:1618 (13-14)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, in Your grace and mercy You supply us with all that we need for our bodies and lives. We thank and praise You for the riches of all Your goodness towards us, above all for all the blessings bestowed upon us in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117.

LESSON: LUKE 12:13-21

“A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

How does it come about that the Gospel and St. Paul single out greed and call it idolatry? They do not do this in the case of other gross sins like impurity, harlotry, evil lusts and thoughts, unchastity, and many other vices opposed to God. It is a very great disgrace that gold should be our god whom we serve, in whom we trust and on whom we rely. This god of gold cannot preserve us or save us; he cannot stand or walk, hear or see; he has no power or might, neither consolation nor help.

What help to the emperor are his great treasures and riches when the hour comes that he must die? Money is a disgraceful, hateful, and powerless god who cannot help you even with one of your little sores and cannot even protect himself. There he lies in his box and must be waited on. Indeed, one must pay attention to him as something powerless, impotent, and weak. The master who possesses him must take precautions day and night that a thief does not steal him. This powerless god cannot help himself or anyone else. What a god this is, a dead god who cannot give the slightest help, a god deserving of our loathing, and yet a costly god! He lets himself be waited on in the most magnificent manner, to be guarded with great chests and castles. His master must always be dancing attendance on him, taking care that he is not destroyed by fire or any other calamity. If this treasure or god consists of rich clothing or fabrics, he must also become an object of special care and guarded against the tiniest of worms and moths who might so easily spoil him and eat him up. What a shocking and accursed thing is unbelief!

SL 11:1617 (10-12)

PRAYER: You have warned us against the sin of covetousness, heavenly Father, because it is a sin that can so easily take complete possession and control of our hearts and lives. Keep this idolatry out of our lives by instilling in us the ideals of true Christian service, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117.

LESSON: PSALM 49:16-20

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44

The world cannot hide its unbelief in its gross public sins. I can plainly see that it has more love for a florin than it has for Christ and all His apostles. Even if the latter were all present and preached in person, it would not change the world’s attitude so much.

I, too, can hear the Gospel proclaimed daily, but it does not necessarily benefit me daily. But it can also happen, after I have heard the Gospel for a whole year, that the Holy Spirit visits me with a favorable hour. If I obtain such an hour, I do not merely obtain five hundred florins; the riches of the whole world is mine. What would I not have if I had the Gospel? I would receive God, who is the maker of silver and gold and everything that is on this earth. For I have received a Spirit of such a kind that through Him I know that I will be preserved forever. This is far more than having a church full of florins.

See whether our heart is not a rogue full of wickedness and unbelief! If I were a real Christian, I would say, “At the hour when the Gospel comes, a hundred thousand florins, to be sure infinitely more, come to me.” When I have this treasure, I have everything in heaven and on earth. But to this treasure one must devote one’s whole service; one cannot serve God and mammon. Either you must love God and hate money, or you must hate God and love money. This is how matters stand and not otherwise.

SL 11:1616 (8)

PRAYER: O God, guard and defend us especially against the idolatry of loving earthly things, wealth, happiness, success, and honor, more than we love You and the blessings of Your Gospel. Give us the Holy Spirit of truth and understanding that we may always treasure the blessings which You have conferred on us in Your Gospel, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:5-11

Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians 5:5

Where are these people who love God and have no hankering at all after money and property? Take a close look at the whole world, including the Christians, to see whether they despise money and property. To hear the Gospel and to live according to it requires some effort and serious attention. We have the Gospel, God be praised; no one can deny that. But what is our response to it? Our one concern is to hear it and learn it and nothing more comes of it. We allow ourselves to be persuaded that it is enough for us to know it; we never bother ourselves with actually doing it. What does cause grave concern is if anyone leaves a florin or two, or it may be only a cent or two, on the windowsill or somewhere else in a room unguarded. This could cause concern and even fear that the money might be stolen. But it does not concern the same people very much to be without the Gospel for a whole year or so. And such fellows want to be classed as evangelicals!

Here we see what and who such people really are. If we were true Christians, we would despise earthly property and become really concerned about the Gospel. We would also live by it and prove this by our deeds. We see too little of such Christians. We must hear the judgement of the Gospel (Matthew 6:24-24) that we despise God and hate His Word for the sake of earthly riches and blessings. What a fine reputation that is! We should be ashamed in the very depths of our heart. We are really in a bad way.

SL 11:1615 (6-7)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive us our many sins of omission when it comes to really putting Your Word and Gospel into practice. Enlighten us by Your Holy Spirit that the Gospel becomes our greatest treasure, bestowing upon us the power to live as Your true children, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117. 

LESSON: PSALM 37:1-11

“Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24

You will find very few people who do not sin against this Gospel (Matthew 6:24-34). The Lord pronounces a very strict judgement here, and it is alarming to hear Him make this judgement which might very well apply to us. No one likes admitting it. No one is very pleased to hear someone telling us that we hate and despise God and are, in fact, His enemies. Almost all of us, on being asked if we loved God and were attached to Him would reply, “Yes, I love Him.” But this Gospel seems to suggest that we all hate God and despise Him in our love of mammon and our attachment to it.

God certainly puts up with such a mixed state of affairs in regard to our service of Himself. He bides His time with much patience. But when He deems it fitting, He can also intervene in a very drastic manner sooner than we expect it. He who loves his money and property and clings to it with strong attachment must hate God; it cannot be otherwise. Jesus places two alternatives alongside of each other here which are mutually hostile and concludes: if you love one of these two and become attached to it, you must hate the other one and despise it.

Therefore, no matter how pleasantly one lives here on this earth, clinging to one’s property, in such a case there must be hatred of God; it cannot possibly be otherwise. Contrariwise, he who is not attached to money and property in this way loves God. This is certain.

SL 11:1615 (5)

PRAYER: Lord, give us, in all the days of our earthly pilgrimage, a proper understanding and appreciation of the most important priorities in our life of service in Your kingdom. Let us never become slaves of mammon but ever remain Your true servants, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117.

LESSON: MATTHEW 15:1-9

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24

The man who wants to serve two masters will always find himself in a relationship to one of them which is not service in any sense at all. Matters must always take a course like the one described by the Lord in this week’s Gospel (Matthew 6:24-34). You can force a servant to do something to which he is opposed and which annoys him. But no one can compel him to do it gladly or from his heart. Perhaps he will do it as long as his master is present, but as soon as his master leaves, he also hurries away and does not really make a good job of things.

It is the Lord’s will that our service should flow from love and be done willingly. If this is not the case, it is not real service. No one is pleased with what we do unwillingly. This is quite natural, and we have experience of this daily. Now, if it commonly applies among all ranks and situations among men that no one can serve two masters, it will apply much more to our service of God.

Our service of God can never be a divided service. We must serve Him alone, and our service must come from the heart. That is why our Lord states quite categorically, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” God cannot suffer us to have another master besides Him. He is a jealous God, as He Himself declares, and cannot tolerate us serving Him and His enemy. “You must be Mine alone,” He says, “Or not at all.”

SL 11:1614 (3-4)

PRAYER: O Lord, our God, You leave us in no doubt at all with Your “either ... or” instructions about the kind of service which alone can please You. Take our hearts into Your keeping and purify them with Your Holy Spirit, so that we always serve You with our whole hearts, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117.

LESSON: MATTHEW 6:24-34

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22

In this Gospel we see how God separates the Christians from the heathen. The Lord does not offer this doctrine to the heathen because they do not accept it; this doctrine is given to Christians. But He does not regard those as His Christians who hear the Word only to learn and recite it by heart, like many of the religious do with the psalter.

The devil also hears the Word of God and the Gospel in this way; in fact, he knows it better than we do. He could also preach it just as well as we do if he wanted to do so. But the Gospel is a doctrine of such a kind that it always aims at becoming a living force in men’s lives. It must result in action, strengthen men, and comfort them, make them courageous and bold.

Therefore, those who hear the Gospel only to obtain an external knowledge of it, so that they may be able to discourse learnedly about the wisdom of God, should not be numbered among true Christians. The only real Christians are those who actually put into practice what the Gospel teaches. You will not find so many of these. We see many who are hearers of the Word but not so many who are doers.

May God grant us His grace that we may always become doers of His Word so that His Gospel does not remain only in our ears and on our tongues, but that it may really reach our hearts and then burst forth in active works of love to our neighbor.

SL 11:1614 (1-2, 35)

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, we praise and thank You for the precious gift of Your Word and Gospel in which You reveal all that it is necessary for us to know and believe for our faith and life as Christians. Bestow Your Holy Spirit upon us in rich measure that we never become merely hearers of Your Word, but actual doers of the same, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117.

LESSON: 1 THESSALONIANS 2:11‒13

As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. James 2:26

We prove the genuineness of our love as Christians by works of love. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). James declares, “Faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). His meaning clearly is: If your life is so arranged that it is not of service to others, that you are living for yourself alone without any consideration for your neighbor, your faith is certainly nothing. In such a case, you are not doing as Christ has done for you. You do not really believe that Christ has done you any good at all, for if you did, you would be compelled by an inner necessity to do good to your neighbor. This is also what Paul means in the celebrated passage in Corinthians: “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

We do not say all this to suggest that faith is not enough to obtain righteousness for you before God, but because in a Christians life these two, faith and love, must always be attached to each other and never separated. There are presumptuous people who think that they can separate them. They want to believe without loving. They despise their neighbor and still want to have Christ. This is a false and wrong view. So we say: faith is everything and saves, so that a man requires nothing more for his salvation.

But faith is never inactive or lazy. It is always very busy, but it works for the good of the neighbor and not for self. It needs nothing for itself, for it already has all things in Christ. If this is not how faith reacts, there is something wrong with it. Its reaction must be love.

SL.XI.1583,23
AE 79:68-97

PRAYER: Preserve us, O God, against the error of errors that we are saved by works of righteousness which we ourselves have performed. Keep us ever firm and steadfast in the conviction that we are saved only by God’s grace, through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: 1 PETER 2:13‒17

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4

The lepers teach us faith; Christ teaches us love. Love deals with the neighbor in the manner in which it discovers that Christ has dealt with us. Jesus said to His disciples, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Soon after this He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).

What else is Jesus saying to us here but this: “Through Me you now have in faith everything that I am and have; I am your very own. You are now rich and fully satisfied through Me. For all that I do and love is not for My sake but for you, that you should have nothing but the one thought, namely, how I can be useful and helpful to you and fulfill all that you desire and need. Therefore, never lose sight of Me as your example. Do to one another as I have done for you. Consider also henceforth how you can live for the benefit of your neighbor, and do whatever you see to be useful and of benefit to him. Your faith has enough in My love and goodness; therefore you should now give your love to others.”

SL.XI.1580,18
AE 79:68-97

PRAYER: It is Your will, heavenly Father, that we should always give You our full and complete faith and trust. Grant us also the privilege to prove our faith in You with the love that we show our neighbor, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: JAMES 1:2‒8

When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Luke 17:14

In this Gospel we are given a very warm and friendly invitation to draw near to Christ, to put our faith and trust in Him. There is no doubt that He wants to do for everyone what He did for these lepers. All that is necessary is for us to cast ourselves freely upon Him in the expectation of receiving from Him all His grace and goodness.

In this regard, true faith and a Christian heart should act and does act as these lepers act and teach us to act. That it pleases Christ that we should joyfully and freely determine to build upon His goodness, even before we have experienced it or felt it, is sufficiently attested here in the way in which He so willingly lends an ear to them without any delay at all. Nor does He tell them that He is about to help them. He simply deals with them as if what they desired had already happened. He does not say to them, “Yes, I will have mercy on you; you will be clean.” He simply says, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

It is as though He says to them, “You do not have to make any entreaty. Your faith has already obtained and acquired what you want before you ask for it. You were already clean, as far as I was concerned, when you began to expect all this from Me. Nothing more is needed, then, but that you should go to show the priests that you have been cleansed. As I regard you, and as you believe, so you are and so you will be.” He would not have sent them to the priests had He not regarded them as clean.

Behold, how powerful faith is! It acquires everything it desires from God, and God regards it as accomplished even before it is asked for. Isaiah speaks of faith when he says, “Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

SL.XI.1579,16‒17
AE 79:68-97

PRAYER: Faith is the means whereby You bestow all Your blessings upon us, heavenly Father. When our faith is right, all is right with us as Your children. Preserve us and strengthen us in faith, in and through Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 103:1‒5

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Luke 17:13

Faith never asserts merits or tries to purchase God’s grace with works. It pleads only its utter lack of merits, or its demerits, and clings only to the pure, unmerited goodness and grace of God. This is also demonstrated very well by the lepers who have confident expectations in regard to Christ’s grace, without the performance of any works.

What good thing could they have done beforehand to impress Him? They had never seen Him before; much less did they have opportunities of serving Him. Then, too, they were lepers whom He would have been compelled to avoid according to the Law (Leviticus 13). It would have been necessary for Him to tell them the rights and wrongs of their situation. Basically, He would have been compelled to tell them the truth that He could have nothing to do with them, and they nothing with Him. That is also why they stand “at a distance,” as those who are well aware of their unworthiness.

Faith also stands at a distance from God; yet it runs to meet Him and cries out to Him. Faith fully recognizes the truth that it is unworthy of God’s goodness and has nothing on which to rely except His highly celebrated goodness. The soul which stands at a distance and is empty also seeks God’s goodness. This goodness cannot be linked in any way with our merits or works; it will come only of its own accord as Christ comes in this village to the lepers so that their praise might remain free and pure.

There is complete agreement here. God’s love dispenses His goodness freely and gratuitously. It receives nothing or seeks nothing in payment. Faith receives this goodness as a pure and simple gift, without making any payment of any kind for it.

SL.XI.1578,12‒14
AE 79:68-97

PRAYER: There is never anything in us, O God, which merits Your grace and goodness, but rather the very opposite of this. Thanks and praise be Yours, heavenly Father, for the riches of Your grace and mercy freely bestowed upon us, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 9:30‒33

As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Luke 17:12‒13

It is not enough for you to believe that there is a God, and that you make long prayers, as is now the abominable custom. In the case of the lepers, you see how it is a mark of faith to teach men fruitful prayer without any professional instruction. Here you see how they had formed a good opinion about Christ and had acquired a degree of confidence in Him. They also entertained the firm expectation that He would regard them graciously. 

This same expectation made them bold and thirsty, so that they placed their need before Him and with all seriousness and in a loud voice requested His help. Had they not previously gained this high opinion and expectation in regard to Him, they would probably have stayed at home and not come out to meet Him, crying out to Him in a loud voice. In that case, too, doubt would probably have gained the upper hand as they asked themselves: “What are we up to? Who knows if He will react kindly to our requests? Perhaps He will not even look at us!”  

True faith has no doubt at all about the good and gracious will of God. And so the prayer of true faith is strong, just as faith itself is strong and firm. St. Luke underlines three things in the conduct of these lepers: first, they came out to meet Jesus; secondly, they stood; and thirdly, theylifted up their voices. In these three points, Luke praises their strong faith and sets them before us as examples.

SL.XI.1575,6
AE 79:68-97

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, all that You have revealed to us about Jesus and His Gospel of salvation is the strongest of incentives to faith and confidence. Grant us Your grace to accept in firm faith all that Your Gospel offers us, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 17:14‒21

If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. I Corinthians 13:2

This Gospel (Luke 17:11‒19) places before us a simple story or event that is quite easy to understand and requires little explanation. But although it is quite simple, it sets before us a most important example. In the case of the lepers, it teaches us faith; in respect to Christ, it teaches us love. And faith and love constitute the whole essence of a Christian, as I have so frequently stated. 

Faith receives; love gives. Faith brings a man to God; love brings him to his neighbor. Through faith, man lets himself be benefited by God; through love, he does good to his neighbor. He who has faith has all things from God and is blessed and rich; henceforth he needs nothing more. All that he does, he arranges for the good and benefit of his neighbor, and he does all this through love, even as God has done all things for him through faith. He draws good from above through faith, and he dispenses it here below through love. 

The saints who have acquired their holy status by works violently oppose all this; their merits and good works concern themselves rather than their neighbor. They live for themselves alone. They do their good without faith. These two sides of the Christian life, faith and love, are well illustrated in this story of the cleansing of the ten lepers.

SL.XI.1575,4
AE 79:68-97

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, strengthen our faith that it becomes the real fountain and source of all that is good and blessed in our lives as Christians, and produces a rich harvest in fruits of love to our neighbor, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 17:11‒19

“The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

One point of difference between St. Luke and the other evangelists is that Luke did not concentrate only on the work and doctrine of Christ, like the others; he also described the order of His journeys and the routes by which He traveled. Up to chapter thirteen, Luke’s Gospel points out how Jesus began to preach and to do signs in Capernaum, to which He went from Nazareth and where He lived.

From the end of chapter nine till the end of his Gospel, Luke tells us how He preached and performed miracles on His journey from Capernaum to Jerusalem. This was the last journey during His life here on earth and took place during the last year of that life. This is also what Luke is referring to here when he says that “on the way to Jerusalem He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.” 

This was not the usual route from Capernaum to Jerusalem. He passed along “between Samaria and Galilee” lengthening His journey. The nearest route lay along the borders of these territories. The evangelist is at some pains to remind us here that Jesus did not travel by the usual route to Jerusalem but that He took a time-consuming, more distant and circuitous route on this journey to Jerusalem. 

He did not do this for any personal reasons, but to seize extra opportunities to proclaim the Gospel and to extend His help to people who needed it. He makes His way through the midst of this territory so that His progress might be quite public, and that He might be at everyone’s service. In this way, the people could approach Him from all sides and receive His help. He was sent to make Himself available to all, so that everyone might freely enjoy His goodness and grace. 

SL.XI.1572,1‒2
AE 79:68-97

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be Yours, heavenly Father, for sending us Your Son to be such a ready and willing helper. May this fact draw us ever closer to Him in all our needs, in the full assurance of His most tender grace and looking to Him for full salvation. In His name we ask it. Amen. 

LESSON: PHILIPPIANS 2:1‒4

“And who is my neighbor?”. . . “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:29, 37

The lawyer does not ask, “Who is my God?” It seems that he feels that he owes God nothing. As far as God is concerned, he is quite sure that there is nothing amiss. Nor is he conscious of any shortcomings as far as his neighbor is concerned. But he still comes up with the question, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Lord answered him by telling him a parable which shows that we are all neighbors one of another, both the man who does a good deed to another man, and the man who needs that act of kindness. In this parable, however, Christ more particularly presents the man who does an act of kindness to another as a neighbor. But Scripture uses the term “neighbor” in both senses: it calls the man who does the act of kindness a neighbor, and at times it speaks of the recipient of such an act as a neighbor.

From this parable Jesus draws the conclusion, “Go and do likewise.” This lawyer had not only sinned against God but also against his neighbor. He failed not only in his love to God but also in his love to his neighbor. He did not do good to his neighbor. We can imagine how the poor man began to sweat at the suggestion that there was nothing but evil in him from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. How could he have been so remiss, this highly learned and pious man?

This is how he came to overlook important duties: he led a pharisaical, dissembling, hypocritical life. In this sort of life he never stooped to consider the interests or welfare of his neighbor. He never even thought of helping others with his life. He thought only of his personal honor and glory before his fellowmen, and so he always kept gaping at heaven. He led the very opposite of a God-pleasing life.

SL 11:1543 (22‒24)

PRAYER: Grant us Your grace, heavenly Father, that we always keep our priorities in correct perspective, loving You with a pure heart and loving our neighbor as ourselves, in Christ’s name and to His glory. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:17-35.

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 1:9‒12

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

We have seen in our consideration of this Gospel (Luke 10:23‒37) what God means when He says, “You shall love the Lord your God.” He means you, the whole you, not only your hands, your mouth, or your knees. When we love God with such a fullness of our being, we fulfill this law.   

But there is not a single person on this earth who fulfills it in this manner. Indeed, we all do the very opposite. This law makes sinners of all of us, so that not even the smallest letter of this commandment is fulfilled, not even by the greatest saint in the world. No one adheres to God with his whole heart in such a way that he could forsake everything for God’s sake. We have, praise God, advanced so far that we cannot endure giving up even one little word, yes, not even a farthing, for God’s sake! 

How is it possible to love God if His will is not pleasing to us? If I love God, I also love His will. When Gods sends us sickness, poverty, disgrace, and shame, that is His will. But what do we do? We rampage, snort and groan, and accept matters with much impatience. This is the least of our problems. What would we do if we had to give up body and life for God and Christ’s sake? Then I suppose we would show quite another front! In the meantime I act like this Pharisee and lawyer. I lead a fine life outwardly, honor God and serve Him, fast, pray, and always put on a very pious and holy front. But God does not look for this. He wants His will to be accepted joyfully and in love. In this respect we continue to drag our feet. 

SL 11:1542 (18)

PRAYER: O God, make us ready and willing at all times to obey Your holy will, not grudgingly and impatiently, but wholeheartedly, feely and openly, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen. 

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:17-35. 

LESSON: ROMANS 1:18‒25

“You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” Matthew 4:10

God allows us to love His creatures; that is why He created them and made them good. The sun is a fine creation of God; gold and silver and everything that is fair and beautiful quite naturally engender love in us. God readily permits us to love these creatures. But to cling to them and equate our love for them with our love for Him, this He neither will nor can tolerate. Indeed, it is His will that I should deny and forsake all if He wants me to do so, and that I should be satisfied even if I never saw the sun, money, or any of my property again.

Love of creatures must always stand a very long distance beneath love of Himself. Even as He is the supreme good, so He wants us to love Him in the highest manner before everything else. If He does not want me to love anything beside Himself, much less does He want anything to be loved above Himself, although both of these alternatives amount to the same thing.

Now, I believe, you can see what it means to love God with your whole heart, and your whole soul, and your whole mind. To love God with your whole heart is to love Him above all creatures. Although many creatures are quite lovable and please me well and I love them, I should still be fully prepared to disregard them and let them go for God’s sake, if God, my Lord, so wills it.

SL 11:1541 (13‒14)

PRAYER: We thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for all the good gifts of Your creation. Grant us the moderation and understanding to use these creatures according to Your will and for our neighbor’s benefit, in Christ’s name and for His sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:17-35.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 5:6‒8

Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 6:14

The really wicked people in God’s sight are those who are proud of their external performances, who want to justify themselves and be accounted righteous before God because of their works. The lawyer in the Gospel belonged to this class of men. What a proud ass he is! And like a proud ass, he comes to the fore. He imagines that Christ can find no fault in him. He probably even thinks that the Lord will commend and praise his life right here before all the people. It never entered his head that he might have something to learn from the Lord; he was seeking only his personal honor and glory. This coxcomb was expecting a song of praise from the Man to whom the people looked up and about whom everyone wondered.

The Lord does not really do this man a service in shaming him like He does. Christ can really be quite unfriendly and anything but kind, especially when He tells people the plain, unvarnished truth. One can understand why some people became so cross with Him. This pious, holy lawyer is still standing on his head. He has but one aim in view: to cash in on the very high reputation he has won by his holy living. He is quite sure that he has fulfilled all the commandments. He hopes to hear from Christ the commendation, “My good man, you have done everything; all is well with you.” But Christ says: “Do this!” In plain language Christ means to tell him, “You are a complete fake; you have never at any time kept this law, not even a letter of it.” He shows this man his wickedness. The poor simpleton thinks that he should be in one of the upper seats. It would be fine and clean. He would rather take his place among the angels than among these people. At times Christ can certainly be a very strange Christ.

SL 11:1539 (11‒12)

PRAYER: You have made it perfectly clear, O God, that self-righteousness never has any room to spare for Your grace and mercy. Empty our hearts of all false pride and self-righteousness, that Your grace and mercy may enter and abide there, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:17-35.

LESSON: ROMANS 13:8‒10

A lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” Luke 10:25‒28

I think that the Lord set out to teach this pious man a very elementary lesson. And yet, such treatment of such a fine man can hardly be right. Surely, He should have shown more consideration for this man! He puts him to shame before the whole world. How can this help the man? He shows this man, who had imagined that he had done everything, that he has really done nothing. He asks: “What shall I do?” When Jesus was finished with him, he certainly had enough and more than enough to do.

A great deal of very necessary comment could easily be supplied on the two commandments which this man quotes for Jesus. They are the most significant and most important parts of Moses. As Jesus says, “On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

If we examine all the laws in Moses, we shall see that they all have reference to love. I cannot explain or interpret the commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), as having any other meaning than “You shall love God alone.” This is how Moses himself explains it in Deuteronomy when he says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4‒5).

SL 11:1538 (6‒8)

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, guide us at all times by Your Holy Spirit to a full and correct understanding of Your holy Word, so that it achieves in us the purposes for which You have given it to us and receives its full meaning for us, in and through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:17-35.

LESSON: ROMANS 13:8‒10

A lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” Luke 10:25‒28

I think that the Lord set out to teach this pious man a very elementary lesson. And yet, such treatment of such a fine man can hardly be right. Surely, He should have shown more consideration for this man! He puts him to shame before the whole world. How can this help the man? He shows this man, who had imagined that he had done everything, that he has really done nothing. He asks: “What shall I do?” When Jesus was finished with him, he certainly had enough and more than enough to do.

A great deal of very necessary comment could easily be supplied on the two commandments which this man quotes for Jesus. They are the most significant and most important parts of Moses. As Jesus says, “On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

If we examine all the laws in Moses, we shall see that they all have reference to love. I cannot explain or interpret the commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), as having any other meaning than “You shall love God alone.” This is how Moses himself explains it in Deuteronomy when he says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4‒5).

SL 11:1538 (6‒8)

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, guide us at all times by Your Holy Spirit to a full and correct understanding of Your holy Word, so that it achieves in us the purposes for which You have given it to us and receives its full meaning for us, in and through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:17-35.

LESSON: LUKE 10:23‒37

Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Luke 10:23‒24

This seeing and hearing must be understood quite simply as external seeing and hearing, namely, that they saw Christ in His own person and in the office He fulfilled, heard His preaching, and witnessed the miracles which He performed among the Jews. They were all in a position to confess with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Many prophets and kings also saw Christ, but only in spirit. The Lord Himself said to the Jews, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see My day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). On that occasion the Jews thought that Jesus was speaking about a physical seeing; but Jesus was referring to the spiritual seeing whereby all pious Christian hearts saw Jesus before He was born and still see Him today. If Abraham saw Him in this way, there is no doubt that many prophets, in whom the Holy Spirit resided, also saw Him thus. This spiritual seeing brought salvation to the holy fathers and prophets, but they also experienced a heartfelt desire and longing to see the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is indicated here and there in the prophets.

The Lord here says to His disciples, who both heard and saw Him in the flesh, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!” He means to say, “This is a blessed time, an acceptable year, a time of grace. What is now present before you is so precious that the eyes which see it are quite rightly called blessed. Never before has the Gospel been proclaimed to every man with such publicity and clarity.”

SL 11:1536 (2‒4)

PRAYER: Jesus, Lord and Savior, You pronounced Your disciples blessed for being able to see and hear Your works of grace and Your Gospel of salvation. Help us to a similar experience of blessedness in connection with Your Gospel of salvation, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:17-35.

LESSON: 1 JOHN 5:9‒15

“Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22

As Christians who are priests before God, we should say, “Christ was certainly a priest in the fact that He prayed for me and acquired personal faith and the gift of the Spirit for me. Hence, I also am a priest who should continue to pray to God that He should give faith to this man or that man.” We should have the firm persuasion that we shall receive what we pray for boldly in faith, in accordance with Christ’s promise, “Ask, and you will receive” (John 16:24).

To pray boldly is not always in our power. The Spirit does not always give the ability to pray boldly. Paul prayed to God for Israel that they might be saved (Romans 10:1). Why was his prayer not successful? It was a matter of faith. The Holy Spirit withheld it. Had Paul been able to pray for this with boldness, it would most certainly have happened. Had Paul said, “I pray for the whole of Israel,” and had he believed boldly and said, “Lord, I am certain that You will do it,” it would certainly have happened. It was certainly his heart’s desire and one which he often expressed, but the Holy Spirit never enabled him to believe it with confidence.

It is not within our power to pray with bold confidence; the Holy Spirit must give us this confidence. When we pray for anyone with the confident addition, “It will certainly happen,” it will certainly happen. But normally we Christians must pray with the addition, “Your will be done!” If I must leave it to His will, then I cannot prescribe person, time, or manner to Him, but leave it to His good pleasure. This gives me adequate certainty. This is also what Christ did. He prayed in the garden, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).

SL 11:1522 (15‒16)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, give us a full measure of Your Holy Spirit, enabling us to pray at all times in faith and confidence, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:370-380.

LESSON: 1 PETER 2:9‒10

“I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from the Father.” John 16:26‒27

I should never rely on your works, and you should not rely on mine. But with my faith, I will pray to God for you to give you a personal faith of your own. John says that Christ has “made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Revelation 1:6). Like Christ Himself, we may now step forth on behalf of others and pray that God may bestow a personal faith on them. Hence, if I see that you do not have such a faith, or a weak faith, I go off and pray to God to help you to such a faith. I do not give you my own faith and works, but I pray God to give you your own faith and works. I pray to God that Christ may give you all His works and salvation through faith, as He has given us His blessings through faith.

This is also the point in the passage quoted above from John’s Gospel. Christ means to say here, “I have prayed and had dealings with God on your behalf so that He may give you what is Mine. Therefore, acknowledge My name. Through My prayer for you, He has accepted you and given you faith, so that from now on you may pray for yourselves. I do not have to do it for you, but you should do it for yourselves in My name.”

Here God crowned us, consecrated us, and anointed us with the Holy Spirit so that we are all priests and each one should pray for the other. We are a royal priesthood of believers.

SL 11:1521 (13‒14)

PRAYER: Among our greatest distinctions, Lord Jesus, is this, that You have given us individually the status of being kings and priests before God, our heavenly Father. Grant us at all times a clear understanding of our privileges as priests, especially in intercessions for the needs of our brethren. We pray in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:370-380.

LESSON: LUKE 12:35‒40

“Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’” Matthew 25:7-9

It is important for you to know how far another man’s faith can help you. The merits of others can prompt you to acquire merits of your own, but that is their limit. Even if all the angels and God’s mercy itself took your part, it would not help you, unless you adhered to that mercy with a faith of your own. One thing another man’s faith can do for you is to help you acquire a personal faith for yourself.

Similarly, even if Christ, after dying for us and giving His body and life, blood and flesh for us, were to intercede for us, it would still not help us, unless we believed in Him. But He can help us by interceding for us with His heavenly Father and saying, “Dear Father, all this I have done for men; give them faith that they may avail themselves of it.” This also helps us after we regard His works and merits as our very own possession. The same thing applies in respect to all the other saints. Their intercession and merits are of no avail at all to us unless we have personal faith.

You see this also from the events set forth in this Gospel (Mark 7:31‒37). The poor man lies there helpless; he cannot speak or hear anything. Those who brought him to the Lord can speak and hear. He does not acquire the ability to speak through their hearing and speaking. Even if they had all come forward and said, “We want to speak and hear for you,” he would have remained speechless and deaf forever and never have acquired the ability to speak.

If you make use of your faith to help me to personal faith for myself, that is helping me. Otherwise, no work or ties of brotherhood are of any avail.

SL 11:1520 (11‒12)

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, make our faith a living power in our lives, not only to believe all that You have promised us, but also to do all You command us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:370-380.

LESSON: MATTHEW 9:18‒22

He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:50

This Gospel (Mark 7:31‒37) suggests discussion on the part played by another’s faith in our salvation. These men brought the deaf man to Jesus as a fruit of their faith in Jesus. The deaf man made no contribution at all; he played an entirely passive role.

We should note at the outset that it is quite impossible to be saved by another man’s faith in the sense that the other man does the believing for you and in your place. But it may well happen that through another man’s faith, you yourself come to personal faith. In a similar way, the works of another man can help me or influence me to perform works of my own. Those people are lying who claim that we can be saved through the works and faith of others, whether we have personal faith for ourselves or not. It is not so! Unless you derive a personal faith for yourself from God’s goodness and mercy, you cannot be saved.

This is how the case stands. If you do not have your own personal faith, neither the faith nor work of another man will help you, not even Christ who is a Savior for the whole world. His goodness and His help avails you nothing unless you yourself have faith in Him, and are thereby enlightened. Therefore, be on your guard against anyone who directs you for help to another’s faith. Tell such a would-be helper, “If you want to serve me with your works, make an approach to God and say to Him, ‘Dear heavenly Father, through Your grace I have come to faith, therefore I beseech You, my God, give this poor man faith also.’ This could help me, but it is impossible for you to give me your own faith. And even if you could do so, it would help me not at all.”

SL 11:1518 (7‒9)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, of all the many gifts which You have bestowed upon us in Your grace and mercy, none is more important to us than the gift of faith. Make our faith strong and a powerful source of good works, through Your holy Gospel and for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:370-380.

LESSON: GALATIANS 3:23‒29

In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Galatians 3:26

You know now that man is accounted righteous before God and becomes acceptable to God on no other ground but on the basis of faith alone. Hence it is nothing but a false fabrication to teach what has hitherto been taught on this matter in the church, namely, that we must have dealings with God on the basis of our works.

Over and above all this, it was even more foolish for the church to direct men to other sources of help besides faith and works. It was asserted that nuns, priests, and monks could help others with their nocturnal howling in their cloisters and distribute their treasures among others.

We should note that no one should ever make up his mind to be saved through another’s faith and work. Your salvation is beyond the work and faith of Mary or any other saint. It cannot even result from the work and faith of Christ Himself.

To be saved you must believe for yourself. You can be saved only by your own faith. God will not give His consent to permit Mary, or any other saint, not even Christ, to take your place in this respect. You can be accounted righteous in His sight and justified before Him only by your own faith. If Christ’s own faith and work are of no account here, you will achieve even much less with the work and faith of all monks and priests.

SL 11:1518 (7)

PRAYER: We praise and thank you, heavenly Father, for the gift of faith which you have bestowed upon us in your free and unmerited grace. Let this faith now become a real fountain of good works in us which we perform in the interests of our neighbor, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:370-380.

LESSON: PSALM 57:1‒3

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

The Gospel for this week (Mark 7:31‒37) describes works of love. These men seize the initiative and go to the poor, deaf man with speech troubles to lend him a hand. Without their merits or any initiative from them, Christ sends forth His Word and attends to the spreading of His goodness and mercy. Accordingly, after drawing from the fountain, there is an outflowing from them which is quite spontaneous. They now share gratuitously with their neighbor, without any condemnation of merits.

Love must always do its work in this way, quite freely and with no other consideration but the neighbor’s welfare. Among other things, St. Paul says of love that it “does not insist on its own way” (1 Corinthians 13:5). To the Philippians he writes, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

This is the attitude which we find here also among these pious people. They do not need the work in question. They do not consider simply their own interests; they think only of the poor, deaf man and of how they can help him. They seek no reward. They render their services to this man quite gratuitously.

This is also the kind of sincerity which should mark your good deeds to your neighbor or otherwise you are not Christians. Mark well, then, how love is described here. It takes upon itself another man’s troubles. If we follow this example, good for us. If we refuse to follow it, God can punish us with the blindness which afflicted our forebears for almost four hundred years.

SL 11:1517 (5‒6)

PRAYER: It is your will, heavenly Father, that we should always practice our faith, especially in the love which we show to each other. Grant us your grace that we love each other without any self-interest, looking not to our own things but to the things of our neighbor, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:370-380.

LESSON: MARK 7:31‒37

How are men to call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? Romans 10:14

The external history of this Gospel or the example it sets before us is good in itself. For here we see how many adopted the pressing need of this poor man as their own need and brought him to Jesus that He should help him. In this action there is set forth an example of both faith and love. It is an example of faith. They had heard that the Lord is good and merciful and helped all who came to Him. The Word, portraying God’s goodness to us, must be heard beforehand and reach our hearts so that we cling to it in faith. Christ’s words must have taught these people these basic facts about God; otherwise, in the absence of that Word, faith and works are also absent.

Although the actual details are not recorded here, we must infer from what actually took place that before these people brought this man to Jesus they must have heard the good news, the Gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, by which they were brought to faith. For the Gospel in its real essence is good news, a good report, not written on paper but promulgated and made known in the world in the living voice. Accordingly, they had no doubt heard that Christ is good, friendly, and beneficial, helping everyone. This was the beginning of their faith.

So you must take a firm grip of the Gospel. You will always find that the good news must first go out and bring us to God. God must lay the first stone or otherwise all is lost. Secondly, they adhered to this good news. They came to Jesus and expected to obtain from Him what they had heard about Him.

SL 11:1516 (2‒4)

PRAYER: The Gospel which you have made known to us, O God, is a message of good news. May this message ever draw us closer and nearer to our Savior and keep us with Him. In His name we ask it, and for His sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:370-380.

LESSON: LUKE 7:36‒50

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16

The tax collector (Luke 18:9‒14) stands there and humbles himself. He mentions no fasting, no good work; he mentions nothing at all. And yet the Lord says that this man’s sins are not as great as the hypocrite’s. A man must really be bold if, in the face of all this, he would feel inclined to exalt himself above the least of sinners. If I draw myself up even a finger’s breadth above my neighbor, or above the worst of sinners, I am thrown down. The tax collector during his whole life did not commit so many and so great sins as this Pharisee here committed when he said, “God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men,” and lied so that heaven might well have thundered in reply. You hear no word here like the tax collector’s plea: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” God’s mercy, tenderheartedness, and love are clean forgotten.

God is nothing but sheer and pure mercy, and he who does not see this does not believe in God at all, as the psalmist also declares, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). This is where the unbeliever finishes up with his lack of self-knowledge.

I will add just one more remark here. Even if this man had committed the very worst of sins like deflowering virgins, it would not have been as bad as saying, “God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers.” To be sure, Pharisee, do I hear you? Do you have no need of God? Do you despise His goodness, mercy, love, and all that He is? These are real sins. It is not a question here of open sins breaking out. It is a matter of unbelief in the heart, which we cannot see. This is always the real sin.

SL 11:1493 (20)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, the consequences of unbelief, cutting ourselves off from all grace and mercy, are truly fearsome and must lead to despair. Keep us firm in faith and duly humble by keeping us close to our Savior, in whose name we also ask this. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:336-347.

LESSON: LUKE 14:7‒11

“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

We must take a look here at the foolish hypocrite, the Pharisee. He is adorned with the most beautiful works. First, he gives thanks to God, fasts twice in the week, and gives a tithe on his whole income to God, not to St. Nicholas or St. Barbara. He has not broken up his marriage or committed an act of violence against anyone. He is not the kind of man to insist on his rights; he has always preserved an unblemished record of piety. If that is not a fine, honorable life, I would like to know what is! No one could really fault this man; as far as the world is concerned, he deserved nothing but praise. In fact, he praises himself.

God intervenes here to demonstrate that the works of this Pharisee are blasphemies. Lord God forbid! What judgement is this! Nuns and priests might well be dismayed here and tremble in the marrow of their bones. None of them are half as pious as this Pharisee. Would to God that there were still many such hypocrites and Pharisees today!

What is there lacking in this pious man? The simple fact is that he does not really know his own heart. Here you see that we are our own greatest enemies, inasmuch as we close our eyes and heart. This man tells us how he feels. If I were to ask such a hypocrite, “My dear man, do you really mean what you say?” he would affirm with an oath that he has his facts quite straight. Note, however, how deep God’s sword cuts, “piercing to the division of soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12). Here everything must crash in ruins and fall to the ground. Without humility, no one can stand before God.

SL 11:1492 (17‒19)

PRAYER: Open our eyes and hearts, O Lord, that we really recognize ourselves for what we are, miserable and wretched sinners, utterly lost and condemned if left to our own resources. Fill up our emptiness with Your grace and mercy, and continue to shower Your blessings upon us, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:336-347.

LESSON: PSALM 9:7‒12

“The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast.” Luke 18:13

We are urged to produce works as evidence of faith, not that we should pile up merits by them. Doing works freely and gratuitously for the benefit of our neighbor must become our normal procedure. In urging such works upon us, God is saying to us in effect, “If you have faith, heaven is yours. But even so, in order not to deceive yourselves, do some works.”

The Lord pointed this out in an excellent manner when He said to His disciples, “This I command you, to love one another” (John 15:17). And just before this, during evening supper, He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34‒35).

Before this He stated, “I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Christ means to say here, “You are My friends, but no one can detect this from your faith. But if you show forth fruits of faith, and your love bursts forth, people will be able to recognize you as My friends. The fruits will not save you or make you My friends; you must prove yourselves to be My friends, and that you are saved by your fruits of faith.”

Therefore, note this well! Faith alone makes you godly. Although it is a living force and a great treasure, because it lies hidden in you, works must emerge and attest your faith to the praise of God’s grace and the condemnation of the works of men. You must lower your eyes and humble yourself before everyone so as to win over your neighbor by your service to him. For this reason also, God prolongs your life; otherwise, you would have deserved to lose your head long since. This you see well illustrated in this pious tax collector.

SL 11:1490 (13)

PRAYER: Strengthen our faith, heavenly Father, by Your means of grace, that we may always produce abundant proof of our faith in good works to our neighbor, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:336-347.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:1‒5

By God’s power [we] are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5

The reason why St. Luke and St. James put considerable emphasis on works is to prevent men from laboring under the false delusion that faith is merely some vague sort of feeling that floats about on the heart like froth on the beer This is absolutely wrong!

Faith is a vital, living reality, making a man quite new, changing his whole disposition, giving his life a completely different direction. Faith brings a man right down to the grass roots of existence, and a complete renewal of the whole man takes place. Hence, if I formerly knew a man to be a sinner, I can see from his changed behavior, his altered being, and his different life that he is now a believer. Faith is always a most important factor.

The Holy Spirit has also seen fit to emphasize works because they are witnesses of faith. If there are those who produce no evidence in the form of works, we can quickly conclude, “They heard the message of faith, but it never penetrated to any depth in their case.”

If you want to persist in pride and immorality, in greed and wrath, while continuing to chatter a lot about faith, St. Paul will come to you and say, “The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). The kingdom of God must be lived and put into action; it cannot be adequately attended to with little more than idle chatter.

SL 11:1489 (11)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, faith is the power which You use to bring men to salvation and to keep them as Your children and disciples. May we never lose this faith, but may it ever increase in us, continuing to manifest itself in rich fruits of faith for the welfare of Your kingdom and in the interests of our neighbor. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:336-347.

LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 4:13‒15

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.” Luke 18:14

The tax collector’s faith certainly proves itself by its fruits. How do we explain Christ’s statement here that he “went down to his house justified rather than the other”? We have suggested that this tax collector was justified before the happenings recorded in this Gospel and before he beat upon his breast as here reported. What does Christ mean here, then, with the statement that “he went down to his house justified”?

This refers to something I have frequently stressed previously: if faith is as it should be, it will break out and produce fruit. If the tree is green and good, there is no coming to a standstill; it must sprout and produce fruit and leaves. Nature sees to this. I do not have to command the tree and say, “Listen to me, tree, produce apples!” If the tree is there and it is a good tree, fruit comes of its own accord. If true faith exists anywhere, works must follow.

If I confess myself to be a sinner, it follows that I must also say, “Dear God, I am a rogue; make me godly!” So also the tax collector here. He does not hold back, but speaks out quite freely. He is not afraid of disgracing himself before other people. He must come out with his faith, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” It is as though he meant to say, “Now I see that all is shattered for me; I am a rogue and acknowledge my sin. There is nothing else for me now but to believe in God and cling to His mercy, to implore His grace; otherwise I am ruined.”

In this way faith casts itself upon God. It breaks forth and establishes itself through works. When that happens in a man, I can recognize him as a believer and so can others.

SL 11:1488 (8‒9)

PRAYER: When You bring men to true faith, heavenly Father, You also empower them to prove their faith in their lives. Make our faith such a power in our lives that all men will know that we are Your children and glorify Your holy name, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:336-347.

LESSON: 1 PETER 5:6‒11

“The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” Luke 18:13

It seems that the tax collector must have heard something of God’s Word beforehand, that he believed this Word and became a godly man as a result of this, as Paul says, “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ” (Romans 10:17). When God’s Word takes hold of a man’s heart, it purifies him and makes him truly pious and godly. The evangelist does not expressly say here that the tax collector had heard the Gospel, but he gives certain indications that he had heard it somewhere or other, for he makes the tax collector exclaim, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

Such an exclamation is beyond all the powers of human reason. Therefore he must have become acquainted previously with the fact that God is gracious, merciful, and friendly to all who recognize their sins, who call upon Him and desire His grace. He had heard that God in His heart of hearts is gracious to all who humble themselves and who look to Him for comfort and consolation.

The beginning of all true piety must never be sought in ourselves but in the Word of God. God must first let His Word sound forth in our hearts. Through this Word we learn to know God and come to faith in Him. After this, we are equipped for good works. Accordingly, we must also infer here that the tax collector in some way or other heard the Word of God. If this were not so, it would certainly have been quite impossible for him to confess himself to be a sinner as the Gospel reports it. He would not have been humbled and beaten his breast unless there were true faith in his heart beforehand.

SL 11:1487 (5‒6)

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, heavenly Father, for the precious gift of Your Word. Grant that we may always accept Your Word with our whole heart so that it always proves itself a powerful influence in our lives, fully sanctifying us, for Christ the Savior’s sake. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:336-347.