Invocavit Sunday, The First
Sunday in Lent, 2012
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10
AM Central Time
The Hymn #148 Lord Jesus Christ 3:61
The Confession
of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 146 Lamb of God 3:62
the Two Kingdoms
The Hymn # 153 Stricken Smitten 3:63
The Preface p.
24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 154 Alas and Did My Savior 3:14
KJV 2 Corinthians 6:1 We
then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that
ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in
a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now
is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3
Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things
approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in
afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in
tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by
longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word
of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand
and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as
deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as
dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet
alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing
all things.
KJV Matthew 4:1 Then was
Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an
hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of
God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is
written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and
setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the
Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels
charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest
at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is
written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh
him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I
give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him,
Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold,
angels came and ministered unto him.
First Sunday In Lent
Lord God, heavenly Father, inasmuch as the adversary doth
continually afflict us, and as a roaring lion doth walk about, seeking to
devour us: We beseech Thee for the sake of the suffering and death of Thy Son,
Jesus Christ, to help us by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and to strengthen our
hearts by Thy word, that our enemy may not prevail over us, but that we may
evermore abide in Thy grace, and be preserved unto everlasting life; through
the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
The Two Kingdoms – Of Christ and Satan
KJV Matthew 4:1 Then was
Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
This verse illustrates what
Luther said about the Two Kingdoms. One is the Kingdom of God; the other is the
Kingdom of Satan. They are perpetually at war with each other, one striving
against the other.
Some people confuse this
with the Two Regiments, another issue. That is Luther’s distinction between the
spiritual regiment (the Church) and the material regiment (government, armies,
the police). One has the Gospel, the other has the power of the sword. Luther
saw the problems with the Church trying to be the government, which was a
foundational problem for the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican controlled lands in
Italy were the most corrupt and held back the progress of the country.
To show the original
parallelism in the first verse, it is good to say, Jesus was led by the
Spirit and tempted by Satan.
Lenski:
In view of 3:16, 17, “by the Spirit,” cannot mean “by Jesus’
own spirit” but must mean by the Holy Spirit who had come upon Jesus and
remained upon him permanently for his ministry. This passive verb, however, in
no way expresses a reluctance on the part of Jesus to meet the tempter. It
intends to bring out the very opposite: the willingness of Jesus to do the
divine will. It does even more: it wards off the idea that Jesus entered into
this temptation of his own accord when at this very beginning of his ministry
it might have been wise to avoid such a decisive test. We often rashly subject
ourselves to temptation. Jesus was led into his ordeal by his Father’s own
Spirit. And this means that the temptation had to occur, and at this very time.
It was God’s own will that this mighty battle should be fought now.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. : Augsburg
Publishing House, 1961, S. 138.
When we have a balanced view
of the Scriptures and see the Bible as a whole, we can understand how one
passage keeps us from going to extremes about one particular emphasis.
The temptation of Jesus
emphasizes His human nature. The modernists today like this a lot. They turn it
into a psycho-drama where Jesus is engaged in a battle within Himself, imagining
all these things while starving in the desert. Of course, they have to ignore
the whole point of the Bible to say this, but the modernists today are no
different from the false teachers of the past. Each generation picks an
approach to use, often exclaiming that it is a brand-new discovery when it is
actually a rehash of past mistakes.
Clearly both natures of
Christ are taught in the Temptation, but the human nature of Jesus is what we
see most clearly. That is an important corrective to the tendency to make Him
only divine, with only one nature, and not the unique person of Christ, human
and divine.
The Gospel ceases to be the
Good News when Jesus is either just a man or purely divine. The human nature of
Christ means that He sees and understands our temptations, which were His as
well.
The Hebrews passage fits
this Gospel lesson so well, because it urges us to continue on the path to
eternal life. The divine efficacy of the Word of God is followed by the
compassion and understanding of Christ, who was tempted every way we are
tempted (human nature), and yet was without sin (divine nature).
KJV Hebrews 4:11 Let us
labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief.
12 For the word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there
any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked
and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
14 Seeing then that we have
a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need.
The First Temptation
KJV Matthew 4:2 And when he
had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when
the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these
stones be made bread.
These temptations are a prelude
to the final temptations, as Jesus faced His death and said, “Let this cup pass
from Me.” Therefore, we understand His human nature better during the
crucifixion if we compare the time of temptation.
Jesus never lost His divine
nature, but most of the time it was not in the forefront. He allowed Himself to
be treated as an ordinary human because that was the Father’s will – and His.
Thus Satan truly tempted
Jesus, who was in the tempter’s power. Some people get wound up and say, “Jesus
was incapable of sinning.” If that is so, then there was no temptation. (Our
friend from years ago said he was never tempted before he became a Christian
because he did whatever he wanted. That is the other side of this issue. We
used to call children like that “godless,” which is a good description.)
The temptation of Jesus is
best understood in realizing that Jesus felt the power of Satan’s trials but
maintained the divine will to resist and to defeat Satan. This also became
apparent during the crucifixion, when Jesus was under the power of Pilate and
the religious opponents, under the power of Satan, and yet reigned victorious
over them. He could have destroyed them with legions of angels but yielded to
the divine will to die for our sins.
This first temptation is
easy to understand, even though we have an abundance of food. When we have not
eaten for a long period of time, whether through illness or other causes, the
idea of food can become a sudden obsession. It is all we can think about. When
crowds of people are starving, they are driven mad with rage over the prospect
of getting some of it. The famous Indian war in Southern Minnesota began when
the Indians were denied their food allotment. The original Dr. Mayo took part
in the battle and might have canceled the future Mayo Clinic by dying – over
food allotments.
If you are the Son of God…
We can identify with this
temptation, because it comes in another form. If you are a Christian, if God
really loves you, then prove it.
This can eat away at us,
when problems come our way, especially when they come because of the Word. It
is easy to say, “I would be happy without this trouble.” God does not take away
the trouble, as Luther said more than once, but God changes the heart rather
than the affliction. That is how the martyrs and apostles faced persecution and
death. That is how believers face the ultimate enemy, death.
The temptation is that we
should prove that God is God by bending Him to our will, when He uses the cross
and other troubles to show us His gracious will.
4 But he answered and said,
It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus answered Satan and
defeated him at this point with the Word of God. Man does not live by bread.
The believer can say, because of Jesus, “You can starve me to death, but life
comes from the Word, which never fails and unites me with Christ in eternity.”
This is the constant battle
we face, because it is material versus spiritual, Satan versus God. The dark
forces say, “Look at our money and prestige.” Believers admit, “We are poor and
scattered, despised and scorned, especially by apostates within the visible
church.”
But God’s Word says
throughout, Better a short time of turmoil and eternal peace than a short time
of peace and eternal turmoil. Knowing that gives us peace in the midst of
anxieties, temptations, turmoil, afflictions, and the cross. Although Paul is
accused of patting himself on the back, we can be glad that the Spirit moved
him to say those things we find in 2 Corinthians. We get some feeling for what
he suffered gladly for the sake of the Gospel.
The man who played Superman,
Christopher Reeve, said suffering had no meaning. But the believer says, “The
cross sanctifies suffering.”
Today, if a Lutheran clearly
teaches justification by faith, his friends desert and rebuke him. They give
him the silent treatment, which can be very painful. Sometimes it takes months
to sink in – so and so won’t speak to me or write to me and won’t even say why.
So-called friends will betray, cajole, ridicule, and scold. They will drive
away a faithful person, clergy or laity, and then complain, “He deserted us –
so he deserves even more scorn.”
I know from reading on the
Net that many people face the same treatment, based on the battle being fought
at the moment. The traditional Christians, who have about 1950 years behind
them, are suddenly the outsiders, the mad dogs to be driven away and sued with
animosity and spite. Their spiritual supervisors say, “We will take away your
beautiful church, which you own and you kept up, and lock you out of it. Maybe
we will give it away to someone else. Maybe we will just lock it up forever and
let it stand empty.”
That is a bitter pill for
those who think happiness is a church building. Many have found their faith
renewed by these episodes. What they took for granted was wrenched from them so
they had to re-evaluate what mattered.
Chemnitz wrote, “These are
the last days of an insane, old world.”
Knowing that, Chemnitz
labored to present the Gospel in its purest form. No one has equaled him since.
The Second Temptation
5 Then the devil taketh him
up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith
unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He
shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they
shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
In this temptation Satan
immediately takes the weapon used against him and employs it against Christ. He
took Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple, which was so high that it made people
dizzy to look down. I think it was Josephus who said one could hardly see to
the ground, it was so high. What better place?
Satan expertly quoted from
the Scriptures, to challenge Jesus to throw Himself down and let the angels
rescue Him and set Him down gently in safety, because the Word promised as
much.
This is the temptation
Christians face when the false teachers use the Word of God to defeat the
meaning of the Scriptures. The best example lately is quoting Romans 4:25 to
contradict Romans 4:24. The answer is not to be awed by anyone or any authority
- except the Word.
The plain meaning of the
Word trumps all the fancy footwork of false teaches, who have dozens of
citations that fit their claims. I saw that done better times 100. When I used
the Vatican owned library in Columbus, Ohio, they had centuries of tradition to
back up every claim. On the topic of Mary alone they had an entire range of
library shelves. One recent work had 3 thick volumes. As Eduard Preuss said,
after he went from UOJ to Roman Catholicism, “Give me the sources and I can
prove anything.” And he was a brilliant expert in doing that – just not a
student of the Word.
Bad Biblical interpretation
is especially toxic, because it imposes a poisonous meaning upon the Word when
God’s grace is being questioned and examined.
Jesus answered with the
appropriate verse, rebuking Satan:
7 Jesus said unto him, It is
written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
The believer needs to know
the basic passages of the Bible that teach fundamental Christian truths. John 3:16
is a good example. If the “expert” has claims that contradict John 3:16, then
the appropriate question is, “Should we expel the Little Gospel from its place
in Christian theology? You are so angry about faith and against believing, so
why are you fighting against the obvious meaning of John 3:16 and Romans
4:24-25?”
Invariably there is a bonus
for the person who embraces false doctrine. They are getting something from it.
Taking that away is dangerous and it can be scary, because the rage that follows
is truly Satanic.
God promises:
KJV Isaiah 54:17 No weapon
that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall
rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage
of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the
LORD.
Third Temptation
8 Again, the devil taketh
him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I
give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Lenski:
Luther says that he who in
the first temptation showed himself as a black devil, and in the second as a
light, white devil, using even God’s own Word, now displays himself as a
divine, majestic devil, who comes right out as though he were God himself.
Satan drops his mask and appears as the prince and ruler of this world. He no
longer operates with the appeal, “if thou art a son of God,” suggesting some
ungodly way by which Jesus is to prove that he is such a son. Cunningly he
accepts the fact that Jesus is a son, even the one chosen to be the Messiah,
and on this Satan rests the final temptation.
Lenski,
R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. :
Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 153.
Satan truly is the Prince of
This World. We see that in slaughter, corruption, false doctrine, paganism, and
especially in all the evils of the world rewarded beyond comprehension.
Perhaps people think Jesus
could not be tempted by such things, but Jesus knew what was ahead of Him – the
cross. Here He is truly the Hero, the Example for us all. He scorned the easy
path and bore the cross for us.
He was destined to say this
again, when Peter tempted Him in a similar way, rebuking Jesus for predicting
the cross and suffering –
10 Then saith Jesus unto
him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the
devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
KJV Matthew 16:16 And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I
will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20 Then charged he his disciples that they
should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. 21 From that time forth
began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed,
and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke
him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he
turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:
thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God,
but those that be of men. 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his
life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?
So many walk the tightrope
today. They do not want to give up the esteem of the visible church while claiming
to be faithful to the Word. I have witnessed people doing mental gymnastics to
defend the worst false teachers. Why? Because a break away from the rulers of
the denomination will mean punishment and retribution, for them and their
families. Their fears about reprisals should tell them all they need to know about
defending such thugs, but that seldom happens. They walk the tightrope and
praise themselves for being faithful, even while supporting the worst kind of
falsehood.
As Luther said, fear is the
opposite of faith. Those who think the Word is weak and the synod is all-powerful
will shrink from the Word of God. After all, the Word brings the cross. They do
not see that their hatred of the cross is also a loathing of the Gospel. They
may think themselves shepherds of the sheep, but they are only fattening the
sheep for a later slaughter.
Every rebuking of false
doctrine is a rebuking of Satan. Every compromise with false doctrine is a
compromise with Satan.
INVOCAVIT
Temptation
"He shows, moreover, that it is customary in Scripture to call temptation and tribulation in this life a fire. As the furnace tests the vessels of the potter, so also tribulation tests unjust people."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, III, p. 254. 1 Corinthians 3:15.
Sins Against the Third Commandment
"The sins which militate against the Third Commandment are the profanation of the Sabbath through neglect and contempt of the ministry, through Judaic and superstitious observance of the Sabbath, or through a shifting of the ministry into the kingdom of this world. The faithfulness of those who teach is the virtue by which the ministers of the Church, aware of their modest skill in Christian doctrine, carefully and zealousy discharge and steadfastly protect all the duties of the faithful dispenser of the mysteries of God in teaching, debating, comforting and setting their hearers an example of true devotion and of all the virtues. The other extreme are faithlessness, heedless teaching or negligence in office, or deserting the ministry because of excessive anxiety or concern over one's own weakness."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith, (1568), trans., Richard Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 71f.
"Those, however, who set the time, place and measure, tempt God, and believe not that they are heard or that they have obtained what they asked; therefore, they also receive nothing."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 172.
"So it is with all Christian; where faith is not continually kept in motion and exercised, it weakens and decreases, so that it must indeed vanish; and yet we do not see nor feel this weakness ourselves, except in times of need and temptation, when unbelief rages too strongly; and yet for that very reason faith must have temptations in which it may battle and grow."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 254.
"That temptation occurs before God's Word is heard; this after we hear the Word, namely thus: when we know that God has promised help in the time of any trouble, but are not content with it, go forward and will not abide His promise, but prescribe time, place, and manner for His help; and then if He does not come as we expect and desire, faith vanishes."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 366.
Faith Is Trust
"He who holds fast to the Word alone, trusts and abides in it, does not doubt that what the Word says will come to pass; he who does not dictate aim or time or means and ways, but resigns all freely to God's will and pleasure as to when, how, where, and by whom He will fulfill His Word; he, I say, has a true living faith which does not nor cannot tempt God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 367.
Nature of Faith
"The second characteristic of faith is that it does not desire to know, nor first to be assured whether it is worthy of grace and will be heard, like the doubters, who grasp after God and tempt Him. Just as a blind man runs against a wall, so they also plunge against God, and would first gladly feel and be assured that he can not escape out of their hands."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 66.
Power of Faith
"Behold, so powerful is faith, to obtain all it wants of God, that God considers it done before the asking. Of this Isaiah says, 65:24: 'And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.' Not as though faith or we were worthy of it, but in order that he might show His unspeakable goodness and willing grace, thereby to stir us to believe in Him, and comfortingly look to Him for every good thing, with joyful and unwavering consciences, which do not stumble after Him nor tempt Him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 69.
[ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy] "This is spoken to all Christians, for every Christian must have temptations, trails, anxieties, adversities, sorrows, come what may. Therefore He mentions here no sorrow nor trial, He simply says they shall weep, lament, and be sorrowful, for the Christian has many persecutions. Some are suffering loss of goods; others there are whose character is suffering ignominy and scorn; some are drowned, others are burned; some are beheaded; one perishes in this manner, and another in that; it is therefore the lot of the Christian constantly to suffer misfor- tune, persecution, trials and adversity. This is the rod or fox tail with which they are punished. They dare not look for anything better as long as they are here. This is the court color by which the Christian is recognized,and if anyone wants to be a Christian, he dare not be ashamed of his court color or livery."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 79.
Temptation Tests People
"When the Gospel begins to assert its influence, everybody wants to become a Christian. All seems well, and everybody is pleased. But when a wind or rainstorm of temptation comes on, people fall away in droves. Then sectaries arrive, as worms and bugs, gnawing and polluting the fruits of the Gospel, and so much false doctrine arises that few stay with the Gospel."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 37. John 4:46-54.
Contempt for the Means of Grace
"Observe, then, the depreciative, contemptuous, and scorning ring in the words of the Reformed when they speak of the sacred Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments, and the grand majestic ring in the words of the Lord and the apostles when they speak of these matters...The true reason for the Reformed view is this: They do not know how a person is to come into possession of the divine grace, the forgiveness of sin, righteousness in the sight of God, and eternal salvation. Spurning the way which God has appointed, they are pointing another way, in accordance with new devices which they have invented."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 152f.
