YouTube -- Festival of the Reformation, transferred (October 27, 2024)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, October 27, 2024.  It is the Festival of the Reformation, properly observed on October 31.  It was transferred to the Sunday prior.

Sermon -- Festival of the Reformation, transferred (October 27, 2024)

DANIEL 3:16-28

WE HAVE A FAITH WORTH DYING FOR.

In the name + of Jesus.

     You have likely heard the phrase, “I will die on this hill.”  In a military context, it notes the strategic advantage of holding the high ground.  Troops would defend the hill to the death.  They would die on that hill rather than concede the advantage.  Today, it is used to express a commitment to one’s beliefs or behavior.  People will defend their convictions rather than concede them to pressure or convenience. 

     Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were such men.  They were among the first to be exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon along with the prophet Daniel.  They were of the noble class, and probably teenagers.  King Nebuchadnezzar was no idiot.  When he recognized their potential for serving him, he had them train for service in his kingdom.  They were taught the Babylonian language, Babylonian literature, Babylonian culture, and so on.  There was no sin in doing this, so these young man gave themselves diligently to their studies.  They were also to eat the king’s food.  But some of that food was unclean according to the law of Moses.  You might think this was a petty matter.  They were exiles in a pagan land.  Who cares about dietary rules?  But these young men refused to violate the covenant.  It was a hill they would die on because they would not sin against the Lord, not even in what seemed like little matters.

     Fast forward to our reading.  Nebuchadnezzar had built a large, golden statue and commanded his subjects to worship it.  Once the orchestra began playing the worship music, everyone was to bow low to the ground—both an act of worship to the idol and an act of allegiance to the king.  However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused.  When everyone was prostrate to the ground, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood upright.  It was not hard to see that they refused to worship the king’s idol.  This was a hill they would die on, and it was reported to the king.

     Once again, King Nebuchadnezzar was no idiot.  He would not execute valuable employees on hearsay.  So, he confronted them.  “If you worship the idol, we’re all good.  But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:15).  Then he scoffed, “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands” (Daniel 3:15)?

     Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s reply was another bold confession.  They made two statements.  “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:17).  In other words, our God can save.  But they continued, “If not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:18).  In other words, even if God does not save us, we will be faithful to him—no matter what threats or punishments we face.  We will not yield in our faith.  We will not turn from his word.  We will die on this hill.

     God, in his grace, chose to preserve Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Nebuchadnezzar recognized this when he declared, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? … But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:24-25).  And he was right.  The Son of God stood with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the flaming furnace.  He had preserved them so that they did not even smell of smoke.  He does not always step in to miraculously save his people from a martyr’s death.  In fact, God rarely does that.  Many saints have glorified God by suffering death for their faithful confession.  We have a faith worth dying for.  God’s people recognize that there are some things that are worse than death.

     We have a faith worth dying for, and that is because we have a God who decided that we were worth dying for.  Jesus Christ is God in the flesh who came into to the world to die for sinners.  Jesus took into himself all our sins.  Now, the devil had given Jesus all kinds of reasons not to do this.  When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the prince of this world offered to give Jesus all the riches, authority, and kingdoms of the world.  Jesus would not even have to suffer to get these.  He needed only to bow before the devil, and he would have them.  But that is not how sinners would be saved.  There was a hill that Jesus had to die on in order to redeem us.  And he was convinced that we were worth dying for.

     Jesus went to a hill to die on it for us.  There he was roasted in God’s fiery wrath for sins he did not commit.  He endured hellish torment that he did not deserve.  He did this to pay for all your sins.  Since Jesus has taken up all your sins, there is no condemnation for you.  You have received a full pardon.  This is the faith we live and die in. 

     Therefore, we have a faith worth dying for.  The odds of you facing death in a fiery furnace are slim.  You will likely never have to suffer death for your confession.  But you will suffer for it.  We hold to God’s word in a world that mocks those who live according to it.  To the world, our faithfulness to God’s word is bewildering.  To the world, sinning against God’s word is no big deal.  St. Peter warned, “They are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you” (1 Peter 4:4). 

     God’s people hold to his word even when violating it seems like no big deal.  Examples abound, but we will consider just one.  St. Paul instructs us, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4).  If you avoid vulgar or obscene speech, people will notice.  They will think you are strange.  They will mock you, “Oh, goody two-shoes.  You think you’re better than us!”  But remember, you have been set apart from all wickedness.  We dare not dabble in some of it, reasoning that some sins are harmless.  The world is evil.  It dwells under God’s wrath, and judgment is coming because of it.  But you have been set apart from it.  You not only rejoice in God’s promises, but you also believe that all of God’s word is good and right and true.  You have been set apart to be God’s people and to live according to God’s word.  Your faith is not mere words; faith governs your whole life.  It is a life lived for God’s honor.  It is a faith worth dying for.

      This is nothing new.  God’s people throughout all of history have suffered for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Today, we celebrate the Lutheran Reformation.  At the time of Martin Luther, Jesus was portrayed as an angry judge that you had to satisfy with holy living.  The confession, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead” filled people with terror rather than hope.  Christians were told to amend their lives, making up for all of their sins.  Who can do that?  What is enough?  And what happens to a Christian who lived his whole life trusting God’s word but does not have enough time to amend for all his sins?  This is where the teaching of purgatory came in.  It isn’t in the Bible, but it was created to tell people they would have to be purged of the wickedness that was still in them.  Once they had been purged of all their evil, then they would be holy and able to enter heaven.  How long would that suffering take?  Thousands and thousands of years.  What comfort did these Christians have?

     This is where the sale of indulgences came in.  For a price, people could reduce the time spent in purgatory by the authority of the Pope.  And it was not only for yourself.  Would you really let grandma suffer in purgatory when you could purchase her release?  It was a wicked practice, but the money ended up building St. Peter’s Basilica.  Martin Luther challenged this practice.  Having discovered from Scripture that Jesus is not an angry judge but a gracious Savior, Luther preached forgiveness of sins by faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Indulgences were a scam, and Luther said so.  Once the money stopped flowing to Rome, Luther faced threats.  First, he was ordered to stop preaching and writing.  Later, he was marked as a wanted man—dead or alive.  Luther’s life would have been much easier if he had just shut up.  But God’s people would have been robbed of comfort, hope, and salvation if he had not.  He was willing to die on that hill because Jesus had willingly died for him and for the sins of the whole world.  Whenever Luther saw the good news of Jesus being perverted by false teachings, he lashed out in rather strong language.  He would not let the light of the Gospel be clouded, and he would not let God’s people be plagued by doubts and fears.  Luther was willing to die for this confession.  God graciously spared him of that, but Luther recognized that we have a faith worth dying for. 

     There is a reason Martin Luther wrote, “And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, let these all be gone, they yet have nothing won; the kingdom ours remaineth” (TLH © 1941, Hymn 262, stanza 4).  For Luther, losing these things was a real possibility.  That does not mean God’s gifts are not precious.  But it does mean they don’t save.  Only Jesus Christ does.  It would be hard to lose one’s possessions or reputation.  It would be gut-wrenching to lose one’s wife and children.  But it would be eternally tragic to lose one’s faith.  There are things worse than dying.  That is why we confess that we have a faith worth suffering and dying for.

     Whether 500 BC in Babylon, 1500 AD in Saxony, Germany, or the 2020’s in the United States of America, God’s word is under attack.  God’s promises are clouded by words which sound nice and allow for alternative beliefs.  Back in September, the Pope decreed that all religions are a path to God (https://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-claims-all-religions-are-a-path-to-god.html).  That was received well by many people, but it is absolutely wrong.  Jesus declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is no other path to God.  To suggest there are other paths to God is to promote a lie which grounds people in a faith that leads to death.

     Faith in Jesus alone brings life everlasting.  Our Savior lived and died for us.  Our risen Savior lives and reigns for us.  Therefore, we live and die holding firmly to his words and promises.  Jesus promises, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).  If you must suffer for your faith, suffer as one who is godly and confident of God’s goodness.  If you must die for your faith, go boldly into death knowing that you will come out unscathed, just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered from death.  We have a faith worth dying for because we have a Savior who lives.  And because he lives, we shall live with him in glory.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (June 25, 2023)

NOTE: This sermon has been edited from 2017.

An online version of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession can be found here.

MATTHEW 10:26-39

WE FAITHFULLY CONFESS THE TRUTH FOR OUR SALVATION.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).  Therefore, we faithfully confess the truth.  Since our Lord is pleased to acknowledge us as his own people—despite our sins and weaknesses, we are pleased to confess our Lord who has only done good to us.  He has secured our salvation.  He is worthy of our praise and of our confession.

     This sounds easy enough, but Jesus also said that this confession comes with a cost: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  And a person's enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).  We might think that the sword Jesus speaks about is Islamic terrorism or an erosion of freedoms for Christians.  While these are threats to pray about, Jesus does not speak here about international terrorism or civic groups who fight to get the Ten Commandments removed from a county courthouse.  He spoke about animosity among one's own family and friends.

     It may sound strange that people would be hostile toward a message which you hold so dear.  The Gospel of Jesus brings such joy and comfort to us, why would it rile up anger in others?  And why would such people become hostile toward us who joyfully confess it?  Why does Jesus and his salvation bother people so much?  St. Paul gives the answer: “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot” (Romans 8:7).  People refuse to acknowledge that they are sinners.  They like their sins.  They aren't going to apologize for them or stop doing them.  They conclude that God is the one with the problem, and they have friends who encourage them to continue in their sins.  If they were to acknowledge that they need a Savior, they would need to confess that they are wrong and they would need to cease and desist from their sins.  They don't want to repent; they like what they are; and they will lash out at anyone who confronts them or convicts them.

     People are hostile toward God's word and those who confess it because they despise God's grace.  Even people who profess to be Christians are guilty of despising God's grace.  We do this because we think there are good reasons that we are saved: We behave better.  We go to church more.  We pray harder.  We think that we have done something to prove our worth before God.  In other words, we believe that we deserve our salvation because of something we have done.  In that case, your salvation is not a gift, it is a wage.  This is to reject God's word: “By grace you have been saved … so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

     We faithfully confess the truth for our salvation.  The truth is that your salvation has been taken out of your hands.  You do nothing to be saved.  That is the very nature of being saved.  He who is lost must be found by someone else.  He who is dead must be revived by another.  He who is hostile must be converted by the love of another.  If you were several miles out on Lake Huron in a boat that had run out of fuel, you would be forced to wait for rescue.  Even if you called on radio for help, you would be helpless until the Coast Guard or someone else came to you.  You would not participate in being saved if your boat was dead in the water.  If you are saved, someone else did the saving.  And this is what our Lord has done.

     We faithfully confess the truth for our salvation.  We confess what God has revealed.  The Lord became flesh and willingly lived a humble and holy life in obedience to God and in service to his neighbor.  But Jesus gives you the credit for it.  He did the work, and he gives you the benefit.  By faith, you are justified.  It is Jesus’ righteousness—not any righteousness of your own—which saves.  Jesus gave his righteousness to you who believe in his name.  By grace, you are saved.  Jesus has done the work; you are given the reward. 

     We faithfully confess this truth for our salvation.  The sins we have committed—whether we have taken pride in being better than others, taken pleasure in seeing the sins of others, or taken pleasure in our own sins—these sins Jesus has taken from us.  Jesus suffered our curse and was afflicted by the wrath that we deserve.  The punishment has been lifted from us.  We are forgiven.  We are not forgiven because we are better.  We are forgiven because Jesus gives us salvation which we have not worked for and a blameless record that we do not deserve.  It is by grace we have been saved.  Since our salvation is completely the work of Jesus Christ, we can be certain that we are saved.  He did work—completely, perfectly, freely.  We, by faith, benefit.  We faithfully confess this, certain that there is no other Savior, and confident that Jesus' saving work is perfect.

     Still, it comes at a cost.  Satan enlists others to demand that we look for salvation outside of or in addition to Jesus.  In the Middle Ages, people were told to look for their salvation from the Pope in Rome.  The Pope urged people to buy indulgences which were supposed to deliver people from purgatory, to pray to saints, to go on pilgrimages to shrines, and to reverence the relics of holy people.  God's grace was not enough; and Jesus Christ was pushed aside.  Even though it seemed ultra-religious, none of it was supported by Scripture.

     God graciously directed some people back to their Bibles for comfort and assurance.  While this brought peace to troubled souls, it also brought a sword.  The Pope excommunicated clergy who demanded answers from the Bible rather than from Church traditions.  He banned writings which pointed people to Jesus.  Emperor Charles V threatened to destroy churches, kingdoms, and princes who did not turn back to the established customs.  Emperor Charles summoned these princes to Augsburg where he demanded their allegiance to him and to the Pope.  The Lutheran princes came to the Diet of Augsburg, not to find compromise so that everyone could get alone, but to faithfully confess God's truth.  This was not a show of stubborn independence or rebellion against authority.  The Lutheran princes at Augsburg were commanded to capitulate for the sake of unity in the Church and empire.  What could be a higher good than peace?  But what could be worse than denying Christ for the sake of peace?  Remember Jesus’ words: “Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33).  The sword from the Emperor was preferred to peace with him.  Death because of confessing God’s word was preferred to life without it.  Therefore, Margrave George of Brandenburg replied, “Rather than deny my God and suffer the Word of God to be taken from me, I will kneel down and have my head struck off” (Concordia Triglotta, page 23).  The Lutheran princes faithfully confessed God's truth even though it meant a sword against them.  They stood firm on God's word for their own salvation and for the salvation of those in their kingdoms. 

     We faithfully confess the truth for our salvation.  To keep this confession pure is to keep certain of our salvation.  If this confession becomes polluted, God's truth becomes distorted or even denied.  Then, our salvation is at least put in doubt; at worst, it is lost completely.  Therefore, our devotion to God's truth is essential.  Churches which have welcomed perverse lifestyles have done so because they have rejected the Bible as God’s word long before.  Once parts of the Bible are in question, they can be rejected.  This may make friends with the world, but it is a denial of Jesus and divine truth.

     We faithfully confess the truth for our salvation, knowing that we may pay a price for holding to this confession.  We may think we can avoid the sword by keeping our confession to ourselves, but silence is not an option.  For this is what Jesus says, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).  Jesus does not say that it is enough to acknowledge him in your heart and keep your faith a secret. 

     If we believe in Jesus and take his word to heart, it will reveal itself in our words and actions.  Light cannot be hidden.  Confessions must be made with words.  However, if you confess your faith and suffer for it, you are in good company.  The apostles died rather than remain silent in their confession.  The Lutheran princes were ready to die rather than deny Christ and his word.  About twenty years after the Augsburg Confess, the sword did come to their lands because of their confession.  And if the princes and their subjects were not put to death, their lands were devastated by invading armies. 

     We faithfully confess the truth for our salvation.  God’s truth is advanced only by preaching and confessing;  Lies are enforced by threats, bullying, and violence.  That might be new for us, but it is not new for the Christian Church.  I don't know what price we might have to pay or what cross we will have to bear.  If we refuse to confess God's truth, the world may praise us; but Christ will disown us.

     Yes, these are serious matters with eternal consequences.  But that is why we take them seriously.  That is why we need the mutual encouragement of each other.  It is why we need faithful, continual attendance in God’s house.  We need our Lord's word and grace.  He reminds us: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28-29).  We need not fear those who are mortal.  Rather, we fear the Lord who holds our eternal judgment in his hands.  But good news: The Lord holds our eternal judgment in his hands, and with him there is life and hope and eternal glory.  In Christ alone, we are redeemed and loved and preserved in the faith.  Even if our body is slain, we are not robbed of life in God's kingdom.  If the Lord cares enough about the number of hairs on your head, he certainly will preserve you in his kingdom through his word and sacraments.

     Therefore, we devote ourselves to God's truth—reading, learning, marking, and inwardly digesting it—so that our confession will remain true, so that our Lord will keep us faithful, and so that we will be sure of our salvation.  We faithfully confess God's truth for our salvation.  Our comfort and confidence are always this: The Lord Jesus Christ is pleased to acknowledge us before the Father.  Therefore, even if they take our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, our salvation remains sure, and our glory will be made known in the life to come.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- 1st Sunday in End Times: Reformation (October 30, 2022)

Here is the service from Sunday, October 30, 2022.

Sermon -- 1st Sunday of End Times: Reformation (October 30, 2022)

ROMANS 3:19-28

SALVATION COMES BY FAITH ALONE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     There has been an ongoing battle in the church about two Bible verses which seem to be at odds with one another.  The first Bible passage is from our reading for today.  St. Paul writes, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28).  The second passage is from the epistle of St. James.  James writes, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24).  Some emphasize one verse at the expense of the other, hoping to avoid any sense of contradiction.  But it is important to understand the context of these passages.  When you do, you will recognize that there is no contradiction at all.

     James writes to Christians who were using God’s forgiveness as an excuse to continue in their sins.  Even today, you will find Christians whose behavior confesses, “If God forgives, then I can do anything.  It doesn’t matter.”  James warns you that it does matter.  If you have new life in Jesus Christ, that life ought to reflect a devotion to God’s word both in your confession and in your behavior.  A person who claims to be a Christian and yet lives like a pagan is a liar.  That person may claim to have faith, but what good is a claim to believe God’s word when one’s life is opposed to that word?  James tells you that your life should reflect your confession.  Therefore, he concludes, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). 

     St. James tells us how a justified person is supposed to live.  But if St. James is telling us how we are justified, the result is nothing but terror and despair.  If we are justified by works and not by faith alone, then we have a lot of work to do, don’t we?  If I believe in Jesus as my Savior but I must still prove my worth by my works, then the burden falls back upon me.  And this is work that does not end.  When will it satisfy God?  How will you know if God is satisfied with your works?  And how could you know?  If it depends upon your works, how should God communicate to you, “That’s enough.  You’ve done a good job”?  Since God makes no such utterance from heaven, when could you ever have peace because the works you’ve done are finally pleasing?  What God does make known to us is that all works must be done as he demands—willingly, cheerfully, flawlessly, and constantly.  Who is up to that?  On our best days, we would live in doubt.  On our worst days, we would sink to despair knowing that it is hopeless. 

     St. Paul shows us how hopeless the sinner truly is before God.  He declares, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  More accurately, we should read that verse this way: “All have sinned.”  That is a fact.  That is our status.  We are all sinners.  “And all continue to fall short of the glory of God.”  That is what we do.  We continually fail to live up to God’s Commandments.  We are impatient with other people and snap at them.  We become annoyed by our fellow man.  We detest him when we are supposed to love him.  We are bitter about our blessings, convinced that God has rewarded others better than us.  We struggle with our problems and suggest that God does not care about us or that he is incompetent to fix them.

     Because of our sinful status, we daily sin against God and others.  We cannot overcome our daily sins, and we cannot correct our sinful status.  Rather than offering our good works to God, we present lousy excuses.  God’s Law exposes this and condemns us for it.  St. Paul wrote, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19).  What defense can we make before God?  Excuses fix nothing. 

     The Psalms ask us to consider, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?  And who shall stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4).  In other words, only that which is righteous can dwell with a righteous God.  Our works are not righteous because we are not righteous.  Our hands are dirty, and our hearts are impure.  No matter how diligent, no matter how zealous, no matter how sincere, no matter how celebrated you are, your works will not make you righteous.  They cannot save you.  They cannot even contribute to it.

     Human efforts at righteousness fail.  “But now,” St. Paul writes, “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:21-22).  This righteousness comes from outside of us.  It is not a righteousness from you; it is a righteousness from God.  It is not a righteousness you have to go and get; it is a righteousness which is given to you. 

     Salvation comes by faith alone.  It is the only way you will ever be assured of your standing before God.  While it is true that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), St. Paul goes on to state this as equally true: all “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:24-25). 

Jesus Christ has provided all you need to be justified, that is, declared guiltless of all sin.  He gave himself up as a propitiation, that is, as a sacrifice which appeases God’s wrath. 

     When an Old Testament worshiper came to the temple with an offering, he would place his hand on the head of the animal to be sacrificed.  He would designate it: “This is my substitute.  This one dies for me.”  His guilt would be transferred to the animal, and he would be slain on behalf of him.  God’s anger would be poured out on the animal which was consumed by fire, and the worshiper would be forgiven.  

     Jesus is that sacrifice for us.  He was designated by God the Father as our substitute.  We see Jesus and know: “This one dies for me.”  Our guilt was transferred over to Jesus, so God’s wrath was transferred over to Jesus.  He exchanged his innocence for our guilt.  Only Jesus could do this.  He became a man so that he could bleed and die as our atoning sacrifice.  But he is true God so that his payment counts for all sinners of all times.  At the death of Jesus, all the wrath of God was poured out.  Jesus was consumed in his fiery wrath.  The blood of God’s Son cleanses your hearts and hands and voices.  The innocence of Jesus has been transferred over to you for your righteousness. 

     Since Jesus made the full payment, there is nothing to add to it.  Justice has been done and grace has been bestowed through Jesus.  “It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).  Jesus’ propitiation proves that God is just: The guilty one has paid the price.  Jesus’ resurrection proves that God justifies you.  If Jesus’ payment to redeem you from sin and death were insufficient, he would still be dead.  But Jesus lives.  The payment is complete.  Your sins are forgiven.  Death is overcome.  Heaven is opened.  By faith in Jesus, you benefit from Jesus’ life and death.  Salvation comes by faith alone.

     Consider the peace this brings to you.  You are saved by taking God at his word.  Regarding the righteousness you need, the Lord promises: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).  Regarding the sins you have committed, the Lord promises: “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).  As far as who is included in this salvation, the Lord declares, “[Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).  As far as the completion of the work of salvation, Jesus decreed just before he died, “It is finished” (John 19:30).  These are the promises of God who does not and cannot lie.  We take God at his word, and he alleviates our fears, silences our doubts, and guarantees everlasting life.  Salvation comes by faith alone in Jesus Christ.

     Oh, what an amazing comfort this is!  The devil still tempts you to add your little contribution to Jesus’ work, as if Jesus’ payment for sins has not been enough.  It seems to make sense because we know God’s will is that we live good and godly lives, as St. James testifies.  But the devil always wants to rob you of your comfort and your confidence.  He always directs your attention away from Jesus and puts it back on yourself. 

     But salvation comes by faith in God’s word, so take heed of that word!  He says, “We hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28).  “Apart from works of the law.”  Apart from whatever you have done.  Apart from whatever you will do.  Apart from whatever you can do.  Salvation comes by faith alone.  Not by faith AND perfect church attendance.  Not by faith AND generous offerings.  Not by faith AND a clean record.  Not by faith AND a cheerful attitude.  Not by faith AND good mental health, a happy marriage, or a long and prosperous life.  While all these things are good and desirable, they are not what save you.  Salvation comes by faith alone.  Everything for your salvation relies on Jesus; therefore, you can be sure that it was done perfectly and completely.   

     St. Paul declares how you can stand before God with clean hands and a pure heart, with a calm mind and a peaceful soul: You are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ.  He has done the work.  He bestows upon you the gifts.  In saying so, St. Paul is not picking a fight with St. James.  St. James is also right.  We do strive for good and godly living as directed by God’s word.  We strive for this day after day—not in order to be God’s people, but because we are God’s people.

     “Faith alone” does not mean the works of the Law don’t have to be done.  “Faith alone” recognizes that the works of the Law have been done.  Jesus did them with his perfect life and with his innocent death.  And his resurrection proves that they were done.  Jesus gives us the benefit of them with his promise: “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).  Jesus does not tell you what you must do, which will never be completed.  He tells you what he has done, which is complete and perfect and assured.  The Savior wants you to know that you are saved.  And he does.  You have his word on it. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- Reformation Sunday (October 31, 2021)

Here is the service from Sunday, October 31, 2021.

Sermon -- Reformation Sunday (October 31, 2021)

JEREMIAH 18:1-11

THE LORD RE-FORMS THE CHURCH.

 In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Jeremiah preached in Jerusalem in the years leading up to its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  That destruction had been threatened already back in the days of Moses, some 900 years prior.  Moses had warned, “If you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. …The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known.  And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone.  And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away” (Deuteronomy 28:15,36-37).  The warning Moses issued is much longer, taking up most of Deuteronomy 28.  God’s warning was stern, vivid, and disturbing.

     Jeremiah was called to proclaim that warning and that curse against a nation who had turned away from the Lord.  The people of Jerusalem were convinced that they were fine.  They even had prophets who told them so.  But Jeremiah was charged to tell the people that their status as God’s chosen nation would not save them from judgment.  Calling themselves God’s chosen people did not excuse their sin.  Walking into God’s temple would not deliver them or their temple from destruction.  If your confession is one thing and your actions are another, you dishonor God’s name and despise his word.  Even the world mocks you for that.  But this is the way it was for most of the people in Judah and Jerusalem. God’s patience had run out.  Moses’ warning was soon to become reality.

     Jeremiah was given a visual illustration for the people of Jerusalem.  The Lord told him to go to the potter and watch him make a vessel on a spinning wheel.  As he spun the wheel and shaped the clay, it fell apart in his hand.  Rather than wad up the clay and throw it out, “he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do” (Jeremiah 18:4).  Now, if a potter has the right to do this with his clay, the Lord has the right to re-form his Church when it has been corrupted too.

     Therefore, Jeremiah spoke to the people of Judah and Jerusalem the word of the Lord: “If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.  Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you.  Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds’” (Jeremiah 18:9-11).  Sadly, these Israelites were so ensnared by their sins that they refused to repent.  They did not amend their ways.  Therefore, the judgment came, and the nation was uprooted.  

     There was some good news, however.  The Lord would re-form his Church.  Through judgment and captivity, God would refine his Church.  It would be re-formed into a remnant of people who would listen to the word of the Lord and who would order their lives according to it.  In this way, the Lord preserved the nation and, more importantly, the promise that the Messiah would come through them.

     On Reformation Sunday, we rejoice that the Lord re-forms his Church when it becomes corrupt.  The corruption which invades the Church is always the result of the same thing—people stop taking the word of the Lord to heart.  The problem may rest with the preachers or the people.  St. Paul warned Timothy, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  The people will want preachers who do not expose sins and call them to repent.  And they will find preachers who are willing to tell them what they want to hear.  This is all hidden under the veneer that a loving and gracious God would not condemn anyone.  To preach that and to believe that is to ignore large portions of the Bible.  But even if we would not take God’s Law seriously, he surely does!  His Commandments are not negotiable, and his threats are not empty.

     In the days of Martin Luther, God was not portrayed as a loving and gracious God who poses no real threat.  He was portrayed as an angry judge before whom you had better do the works he demands or be damned.  The only hope given to the faithful was to run to the Church who would supply you with just enough grace to do a little better.  This was done for a price.  You could pay to have a special Mass spoken in your name to gain favor with God.  You didn’t even have to be there, as long as the money was given and the priest did the work.  If you wanted to be spared suffering after death, you could purchase an indulgence which excused you from years of torment in purgatory.  Eventually, the question was asked, “If the Pope has the authority to release people from purgatory, why doesn’t he do it for free?”[1]  Now, God’s word does not speak of purgatory.  Much less does God’s word tie salvation to monetary donations. 

     So, God re-formed his Church.  Rather than crumple the whole thing up and start over, the Lord was pleased to raise up people who did read the Scriptures and preach them.  Over the years, some of them were condemned for this—men such as John Wycliffe (1320’s–1384) from England and Jan Hus (1372–1415) from Bohemia.  God raised up more preachers like them, most notably Martin Luther (1483–1546).  What resulted from their Scriptural preaching was people turning to the Scriptures instead of the traditions of men.  It meant trusting in a Savior who paid for their sins instead of their own payments for Masses, pilgrimages, and indulgences.  It meant that troubled souls found peace.  But it also meant a loss of funding for the Pope’s projects.  That’s when the persecution really began. 

     After a few years, Martin Luther was one of the preachers who was brought before governors and kings to make the good confession.  For his confession, he was declared an outlaw.  But through preachers who read the word of God, took it seriously, and preached it faithfully, the Lord reformed a remnant of his Church who rejoiced in salvation freely given.  To them, Jesus was finally revealed as a loving Savior who accomplished everything for our forgiveness and salvation.  To them, comfort was given to fearful hearts and assurance was given for the day of Judgment.  And you, dear Christians, are the beneficiaries of such Reformers.  God, who was pleased to re-form his Church, has also been pleased to preserve that Gospel among us.

     I suppose this could become a cause for pride, but it should not.  Remember, the Church was corrupted from within—from people who craved a different message and from pastors who were willing to give it.  Although Jeremiah had been a faithful prophet, he was not popular.  Jeremiah proclaimed, “Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds” (Jeremiah 18:11); the people responded, “That is hopeless!  So we will walk according to our own plans” (Jeremiah 18:12), and they found the preachers who emboldened them to do this.

     While it is true God re-forms his Church, it always begins with each of us individually.  We are grieved by every scandal which rocks the church and by every teacher who points people to themselves instead of to Jesus.  You may wish you could fix that.  But you can’t.  It is like people who want to change the world.  They can’t.  For example, you can’t make the whole world recycle, but you can make sure you do.  In the same way, many Christians are abandoning God’s word.  They take their direction from science, from popular ideas, or from their own feelings.  You can’t prevent that.  But you can be sure that you are listening to God’s word and applying it to your own life.  After all, you will not be judged for anyone but yourself.

     God’s word shows us the corruption and the warping of our own feelings, thoughts, and life.  Just as the clay could not fix itself, neither can we fix our sinful condition.  God must re-form us according to his good pleasure.  He does.  Jesus has rescued us from our corrupt and warped condition.  He has taken our sin and so was cursed for us.  He credits us with his innocence so that we are pleasing to God.  He puts to death the sinner in baptism, and he raises us up a new creation.  He takes those who were unwilling to listen and to do his will and converts us into those who are willing.  He changes us into noble vessels into whom he has poured his Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit transforms our minds and hearts.  He teaches us to love God’s word and guides us to reform our lives according to it.  St. Paul wrote, “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  This is how God re-forms you, and it is how God re-forms his Church.

     This re-forming is a continual process.  We are never done.  As long as we are in this world, we will battle against temptations.  We can still be deceived by smooth-sounding words, especially when those words excuse us and our loved ones when we are straying from God’s word.  We are still vessels of clay on the potter’s wheel.  God must continue to work on us so that we do not revert to being warped and corrupted. 

    God re-forms his Church.  The work is always done by God’s word being rightly taught and confessed.  The Church that is faithful does not demonstrate it by how moral the people are, by how happy the people are, or by how successful the people are.  The Church that is faithful is the one who rightly teaches God’s word and rightly administers the sacraments.  If that is done, it may well produce people who are moral and happy.  God’s people may prosper, or they may not.  Jeremiah didn’t.  But morality, happiness, and prosperity don’t save anyone.  Only the word of God produces saving faith.  This is how God re-forms and reshapes us for our own good.  This is how God refines his Church so that it will never perish. 

     Rather than boast about retaining God’s pure word, as if we by our strength have done it, let us offer up our humble prayer instead: God, grant us to keep your word pure so that you may keep your people pure.

 In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

---

[1] "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial." (Thesis #82 of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, posted on October 31, 1517) 

Lutheran Reformation -- 500th anniversary of the Diet of Worms

In honor of the 500th anniversary of this bold confession, here is Martin Luther’s Speech at the Imperial Diet in Worms (18 April 1521).  For a video rendition of this speech, scroll to the bottom.

1          Most Serene Emperor, Illustrious Princes, Gracious Lords:

2          I this day appear before you in all humility, according to your command, and I implore your majesty and your august highnesses, by the mercies of God, to listen with favor to the defense of a cause which I am well assured is just and right. I ask pardon, if by reason of my ignorance, I am wanting in the manners that befit a court; for I have not been brought up in king’s palaces, but in the seclusion of a cloister; and I claim no other merit than that of having spoken and written with the simplicity of mind which regards nothing but the glory of God and the pure instruction of the people of Christ.

3          Two questions were yesterday put to me by his imperial majesty; the first, whether I was the author of the books whose titles were read; the second, whether I wished to revoke or defend the doctrine I have taught. I answered the first directly, and I adhere to that answer: that these books are mine and published by me, except so far as they may have been altered or interpolated by the craft or officiousness of opponents. As for the second question, I am now about to reply to it; and I must first entreat your Majesty and your Highnesses to deign to consider that I have composed writings on very different subjects. In some I have discussed Faith and Good Works, in a spirit at once so pure, clear, and Christian, that even my adversaries themselves, far from finding anything to censure, confess that these writings are profitable, and deserve to be perused by devout persons. The pope’s bull, violent as it is, acknowledges this. What, then, should I be doing if I were now to retract these writings? Wretched man! I alone, of all men living, should be abandoning truths approved by the unanimous voice of friends and enemies, and should be opposing doctrines that the whole world glories in confessing!

4          I have composed, secondly, certain works against the papacy, wherein I have attacked such as by false doctrines, irregular lives, and scandalous examples, afflict the Christian world, and ruin the bodies and souls of men. And is not this confirmed by the grief of all who fear God? Is it not manifest that the laws and human doctrines of the popes entangle, vex, and distress the consciences of the faithful, while the crying and endless extortions of Rome engulf the property and wealth of Christendom, and more particularly of this illustrious nation? Yet it is a perpetual statute that the laws and doctrines of the pope be held erroneous and reprobate when they are contrary to the Gospel and the opinions of the church fathers.

5          If I were to revoke what I have written on that subject, what should I do but strengthen this tyranny, and open a wider door to so many and flagrant impieties? Bearing down all resistance with fresh fury, we should behold these proud men swell, foam, and rage more than ever! And not merely would the yoke which now weighs down Christians be made more grinding by my retractation it would thereby become, so to speak, lawful, for, by my retractation, it would receive confirmation from your most serene majesty, and all the States of the Empire. Great God! I should thus be like to an infamous cloak, used to hide and cover over every kind of malice and tyranny.

6          In the third and last place, I have written some books against private individuals, who had undertaken to defend the tyranny of Rome by destroying the faith. I freely confess that I may have attacked such persons with more violence than was consistent with my profession as an ecclesiastic: I do not think of myself as a saint; but neither can I retract these books. Because I should, by so doing, sanction the impieties of my opponents, and they would thence take occasion to crush God’s people with still more cruelty.

7          Yet, as I am a mere man, and not God, I will defend myself after the example of Jesus Christ, who said: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness against me; but if well, why doest thou strike me?” (John xviii:23). How much more should I, who am but dust and ashes, and so prone to error, desire that every one should bring forward what he can against my doctrine. Therefore, most serene emperor, and you illustrious princes, and all, whether high or low, who hear me, I implore you by the mercies of God to prove to me by the writings of the prophets and apostles that I am in error. As soon as I shall be convinced, I will instantly retract all my errors, and will myself be the first to seize my writings, and commit them to the flames.

8          What I have just said will, I think, clearly show that I have well considered and weighed, not only the dangers to which I am exposing myself, but also the parties and dissensions excited in the world by means of my doctrine, of which I was yesterday so gravely admonished. But far from being dismayed by them, I rejoice exceedingly to see the Gospel this day, as of old, a cause of disturbance and disagreement; for such is the character and destiny of God’s word. “I came not to send peace unto the earth, but a sword,” said Jesus Christ. “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes shall be those of his own household.” (Matthew x:34-36)

9          God is wonderful and terrible in His counsels. Let us have a care, lest in our endeavors to arrest discords, we be bound to fight against the holy word of God and bring down upon our heads a frightful deluge of inextricable dangers, present disaster, and everlasting desolations. Let us have a care that the reign of the young and noble prince, the Emperor Charles, on whom, next to God, we build so many hopes, should not only commence, but continue and terminate its course, under the most favorable auspices.

10        I might cite examples drawn from the oracles of God. I might speak of Pharaohs, of kings of Babylon, or of Israel, who were never more contributing to their own ruin than when, by measures in appearances most prudent, they thought to establish their authority! God removeth the mountains and they know not (Job ix:5). In speaking thus, I do not suppose that such noble princes have need of my poor judgment; but I wish to acquit myself of a duty whose fulfillment my native Germany has a right to expect from her children. And so commending myself to your august majesty, and your most serene highnesses, I beseech you in all humility, not to permit the hatred of my enemies to rain upon me an indignation I have not deserved. I have done.

[Having delivered this speech in German, Luther was now asked to repeat it in Latin. After some hesitation, he did so. He was then reminded that he should answer a simple question: whether he would retract or not. Thus he continued:]

11        Since your most serene majesty and your high mightinesses require of me a simple, clear and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is as clear as noonday that they have fallen into error and even into glaring inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it cannot be either safe or honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise; God help me! Amen.

Reformation Celebration

This has been in our bulletins, but not published much online at all, so here goes.

THIS SUNDAY (October 25), we will have a Reformation Celebration to be held at Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church in Westland (33333 Warren Road).  The schedule is as follows:

          5:00 PM -- Vespers (Pastor Purdue preaching)

          5:30 PM -- Bratwurst dinner (with as much precaution as we can muster)

          6:30 PM -- Luther Lecture: "What good are good works?" (Pastor Schroeder presenting), based on Martin Luther's Treatise on Good Works (1520)

We welcome all who would like to celebrate our Lutheran heritage and would like to grow in the understanding of Lutheran theology.

To be assured that enough food will be available for any who join us, we are asking you to RSVP to welsnovi@aol.com by Friday night.  Last minute, I know, but chances are you know already if you would be joining us or not.  So, RSVP now while you are thinking about it.  Let us know how many are in your group.

A Pastoral Concern -- Appreciating our Lutheran heritage even more and more-r

Here is the 3rd video from "The Ten Minute Bible Hour."  This "ten minutes" lasts about 38 minutes.  It is a very good confession made by Pastor Will Weedon concerning Lutheran doctrine and practice, especially in regards to why Lutherans are not American evangelicals.  Evangelicals might think that these differences are meaningless.  Lutherans say these differences are all about the gospel and how God delivers his grace to us.  The gulf between the two cannot be ignored or dismissed.

Here is the 3rd video.  Be sure to watch the others (#1) here and (#2) here.  And share these.

A Pastoral Concern -- Appreciating our Lutheran heritage even more

I had blogged earlier about Pastor Will Weedon's tour and explanation of his church, which is reflective of Lutheran churches in general.  If you have not watched that video, you can find it linked in my earlier blog post here.

After that tour, the host of the "Ten Minute Bible Hour," sits down with Pastor Weedon to ask about particulars in connection with what Lutherans believe.  Pastor Weedon speaks in particular of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod only briefly, but quickly gets into what is simply the confessional Lutheran approach to doctrine and practice.  It is a good reminder that Lutheran doctrine matters, that it is not an innovation (we are the church catholic), and that it is truly good, right, and salutary to believe, teach, and confess such things.

This portion of the Ten Minute Bible Hour runs just shy of 27 minutes--and it is only the first part of the interview!  It is 27 minutes well spent for your viewing, and I hope it has you longing for part 2 of the interview.  I know I am looking forward to it, and I will link to it when it comes to YouTube.

Enjoy.  And share!