Sexagesima Sunday, 2013
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10
AM Central Time
The Hymn #190 Christ the Lord 1:52
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 # 339 All Hail the Power 1:57
Sowing the Word of God
The Hymn # 308 Invited 1:63
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 #46 On What Has Now Been
Sown 1:62
2 Corinthians 11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly,
seeing ye yourselves are wise.
20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if
a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself,
if a man smite you on the face. 21 I
speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever
any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am
I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool ) I am more;
in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent,
in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five
times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen,
in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils
in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false
brethren; 27 In weariness and
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in
cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those
things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the
churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not
weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine
infirmities. 31 The God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie
not. 32 In Damascus the governor under
Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to
apprehend me: 33 And through a window
in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands. 12:1 It is not
expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of
the Lord. 2 I knew a man in Christ
above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out
of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third
heaven. 3 And I knew such a man,
(whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise,
and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself
I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will
say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above
that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure
through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me.
KJV Luke 8:4 And when much
people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake
by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by
the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6
And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away,
because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang
up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and
bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that
hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What
might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not
see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The
seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then
cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they
should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when
they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while
believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among
thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with
cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and
good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with
patience.
Sexagesima Sunday
Lord God, heavenly Father,
we thank Thee, that through Thy Son Jesus Christ Thou hast sown Thy holy word
among us: We pray that Thou wilt prepare our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we
may diligently and reverently hear Thy word, keep it in good hearts, and bring
forth fruit with patience; and that we may not incline to sin, but subdue it by
Thy power, and in all persecutions comfort ourselves with Thy grace and
continual help, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Sowing the Word of God
KJV Luke 8:4 And when
much people were gathered together, and were come to Him out of every city, He
spake by a parable:
The Parable of the Sower and
the Seed should encourage any believers who wants to know about the growth of
the Kingdom of God.
Jesus used parables in two
ways. They were interesting but mysterious short stories and brief sayings that
were easy to remember – in fact, almost impossible to forget. But the masses
did not know their real meaning.
The second role of the
parables is to give significant instruction to believers, who have to study the
lessons and grasp the meaning of each one. The first part (easy to remember,
impossible to forget) is an important part of this. We know the basic parables,
but we want to know what Jesus was teaching, especially since they have their
mysterious, tricky, or counter-intuitive parts. (Why is the man tossed out of
the wedding feast, to burn in Hell forever? Dress code? Is that fair?)
So the impact of the
parables has been great. They are part of our language and culture, even though
many fail to understand what they mean. If they are curious about them or come
to faith later, they have the parables to instruct them. Also, life-long
students of the Bible always have more to learn from them, because so much
meaning is imparted in a few words.
5 A sower went out to sow
his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down,
and the fowls of the air devoured it.
This is not a lesson on
gardening, so the carelessness of the sower is meant to remind us about
broadcasting the Word rather than fretting over where it lands.
The garden plots in that
area were small, since land was precious, and they were divided by footpaths.
One of the cardinal rules of gardening is not to walk on any soil where
something should grow. Nothing kills plant growth more effectively than walking
on soil and compacting it.
So this wayside was a path
where people walked to get to their garden plot. This path was compacted soil and grew nothing. When seed fell on
it, the seed could not take root, so the watchful birds landed and devoured it
as an extra treat. Birds are quite clever about gardening. They gather in trees
and bushes and wait until the gardener is done. The grubs and worms are exposed
by digging, and seed scattered on paving or paths is spotted and eaten.
This seed is the Word of God.
This part of the parable represents those who hear the Gospel without regarding
its truth, its message of forgiveness from sin. They often see it as an
opportunity for spiritual bullying. Tyrants in the church bodies use it to
oppress others while claiming a special role that cannot be questioned. They
even say, “Touch not the Lord’s Anointed,” as if they are infallible
while abusing the infallible Word of God.
For various reasons people
go through the motions, not believing, but always putting something ahead of
faith in the Gospel. For the last 50 years, many accepted false teaching
because they were attached to a congregation or denomination. They should thank
God that He has allowed the false doctrine to be so obvious that members and
pastors no longer have an excuse for staying in the same stall with unbelieving
leaders.
Because they do not care to
grasp the Word of God as it is, Satan snatches it from them the way a bird
lights and grabs seed from the ground. The Word itself speaks to people and teaches
them through the Holy Spirit, as Luther wrote. But if we let a mere human being
to counter the truth of God’s Word, we are letting Satan snatch it from us.
3. Therefore Christ says the devil cometh and
taketh away the Word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.
What power of Satan this alone reveals, that hearts, hardened through a worldly
mind and life, lose the Word and let it go, so that they never understand or
confess it; but instead of the Word of God Satan sends false teachers to tread
it under foot by the doctrines of men. For it stands here written both that it
was trodden under foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it. The birds
Christ himself interprets as the messengers of the devil, who snatch away the
Word and devour it, which is done when he turns and blinds their hearts so that
they neither understand nor esteem it, as St. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:4: “They
will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.” By the
treading under foot of men Christ means the teachings of men, that rule in our
hearts, as he says in Matthew 5:13 also of the salt that has lost its savor, it
is cast out and trodden under foot of men; that is, as St. Paul says in 2
Thessalonians 2:11, they must believe a lie because they have not been obedient
to the truth.
6 And some fell upon a
rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked
moisture.
Seed often falls on areas
where it can easily germinate and start to grow. Two things encourage this. A
flat area will gather dust and organic material, such as dead leaves and grass.
It may be warmer than surrounding soil. The seed germinates quickly, takes root
in almost nothing, starts to grow from the trapped moisture, and quickly dries
up from too much heat, too little moisture, too little soil. Maple trees start
in the rain gutters of homes, but few forests grow there. The time comes when
the best little maple seedlings dry up.
This section illustrates
those people who hear the Gospel and understands what it means. They rejoice in
justification by faith, because they have never heard someone say, before this
time, that believing is forgiveness.
Now the struggle begins. As
soon as someone knows the truth, he is a target of Satan’s crafts and assaults.
As Rome said during the Reformation and the synods say today, “Will you abandon
Holy Mother Church for this fanaticism? Will you give up family and friends?
Your vocation? Your respect and esteem among colleagues? How could so many of
our great and wise teachers be wrong?”
And there are many other
kinds of persecution. When someone gives up an addiction, the continuing
addicts attack with charm and persuasion – Just try some. Or – don’t be a sissy
and mama’s boy. The former friends are only too happy to re-supply because the
convert makes them feel guilty.
An entire generation of
church leaders have created this situation by never teaching the cross. The
post WWII church was very fat and successful, so much that no one thought to
deal with any doctrinal issues. Cooperation was the word, whether openly or
covertly. All the denominations work together for false doctrine (universal
absolution) and against sound doctrine (faithful ministers and members). Few
thought to question this because everyone was building new buildings and
spending millions of dollars here and there. Now these churches are emptying
out because the following generations do not care, do not attend, do not give,
do not believe.
Those who believe and
retreat into the same errors are that much harder to reach with the Word. This
is divine retribution. The same Word of God that converts and enlightens will
also blind and harden when people reject it. So some ministers will go through
the motions to spare themselves. In doing so, they harden themselves against
the Gospel and lose the Gospel. They can still go on speaking the words and not
meaning them. The more they do this, the worse it gets.
Many times Satan will reveal
himself at the end and show the false teacher how empty his life is. One famous
Evangelical leader confessed to a friend, “My entire life is a lie. All these
honors mean nothing.”
When people are shocked by
posters and ads sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, I tell them,
“Yes I spoke at the WELS church where one of them was the pastor.” He is still
listed as an expert writer of WELS essays in the WELS Essay Files (the Holy of
Holies).
Pope Pius XII and Paul
Tillich lived with great acclaim and died in terror.
But when the sun shines hot it withers, because it
has no soil and moisture, and only rock is there. So these do; in times of
persecution they deny or keep silence about the Word, and work, speak and
suffer all that their persecutors mention or wish, who formerly went forth and
spoke, and confessed with a fresh and joyful spirit the same, while there was
still peace and no heat, so that there was hope they would bear much fruit and
serve the people. For these fruits are not only the works, but more the
confession, preaching and spreading of the Word, so that many others may
thereby be converted and the kingdom of God be developed.
7 And some fell among
thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Whenever something
worthwhile grows, a weed that thrives among its growth will spring up and take
over.
There is a Morning Glory
relative that grows in bushes and drops seed to keep going, no matter what.
Woody nightshade will do the same. I had nutgrass grow up in imitation of corn
until it was six feet tall and welded to the soil. Plants do not like too much
sun or shade, but weeds thrive in both. The bane of yards in Phoenix produced
thousands of seeds and grew in drought, but grew even faster in rain.
Gardeners know that a
neglected garden will soon fade away. The Word of God has power on its own, but
we lose the value of that power through neglect and distraction.
14 And that which fell
among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked
with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection.
A plant is not going to
reach perfection when surrounded by weeds, deprived of water and sun.
We see that today when
people have cut a deal where the Means of Grace are neglected because it was
once true that half of members were not there to worship on a Sunday. Now, in
large churches, the figure is more like 80% are missing.
An individual who cares so
little about the Word, that token membership is allowed, will fit this part of
the parable. It happens often. It always has. Many wealthy and powerful rulers
said, “I want the Christian church in my kingdom.” When they heard the Word of
God, they were angry and retaliated. So it was that Chemnitz was kicked out of
his post for teaching the truth because he angered the duke.
Therefore they are like the seed that fell among
the thorns. Although it is not rocky but good soil; not wayside but deeply
plowed soil; yet, the thorns will not let it spring up, they choke it. Thus
these have all in the Word that is needed for their salvation, but they do not
make any use of it, and they rot in this life in carnal pleasures. To these
belong those who hear the Word but do not bring under subjection their flesh.
They know their duty but do it not, they teach but do not practice what they
teach, and are this year as they were last.
8 And other fell on good
ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said
these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his
disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Any gardener has had this
experience. For one reason or another, seed is cast in places where it grows
miraculously, simply from being thrown. Extra seed. Seed from a packet.
My favorite was true Snow on
the Mountain (not the weed grown in the shade, whose real name was goutweed).
I had this packet and didn’t
know where to plant it. I threw the seed against the garage where other plants
were growing and forgot. Later this beautiful flower grew up. I wondered what
it was and remembered about the packet.
We can start to see the
point of this parable here. After showing three types of failure (not the
Word’s, but man’s), the parable reveals that the growth will more than make up
for all the losses.
15 But that on the good
ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep
it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
This is what Chemnitz
taught, that the preacher should faithfully teach and the hearers listen with
attention, not doubting that the Word would be fruitful. The uncertain minister
is really someone who does not quite believe that something so scorned would be
of value to anyone or move them to do something worthwhile.
Thus many fall upon coaching
talks that derive their wisdom from the world of business and Asian religion –
even from the occult. Schuller copied Peale, who plagiarized the occult. Many
Baptists and Pentecostals follow Paul Y. Cho, who teaches directly from Asian
occult religion. Some mix their “spiritual wisdom” with Napoleon Hill, who
denied Satan, made fun of religion, and spoke to spirits hovering in his
hellish study. (Think and Grow Rich, Grow Rich with Peace of Mind). Schuller and
Mary Kay (Cosmetics) are award winners of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.
But the Word itself is more
powerful than any double-edged sword. This is a sword we can take into any
battle, for offense and defense. This Sword of the Spirit teaches the Gospel and
defeats all false doctrine. It replaces man’s wisdom with true wisdom, the
wisdom of God.
And the results are great.
In a few years there has
been a growth in teaching justification by faith. As I recently wrote, there
are five Lutheran blogs where this is prominent and taught without cavil.
Naturally, opposition springs up wherever it is taught. But that opposition is
good for teaching the Gospel.
When people try to take away
the Gospel, we realize how it is priceless and valuable, not only for us, but
for all people.
Trusting in God helps us see
how God works miracles great and small to advance His Kingdom.
The devil does not snatch it away, nor are they
thereby led astray, moreover the heat of persecution does not rob them of it,
and the thorns of pleasure and the avarice of the times do not hinder its
growth; but they bear fruit by teaching others and by developing the kingdom of
God, hence they also do good to their neighbor in love; and therefore Christ
adds, “they bring forth fruit with patience.” For these must suffer much on
account of the Word, shame and disgrace from fanatics and heretics, hatred and
jealousy with injury to body and property from their persecutors, not to
mention what the thorns and the temptations of their own flesh do, so that it
may well be called the Word of the cross; for he who would keep it must bear
the cross and misfortune, and triumph.
8. He says: “In honest and good hearts.” Like a
field, that is without a thorn or brush, cleared and spacious, as a beautiful
clean place: so a heart is also cleared and clean, broad and spacious, that is
without cares and avarice as to temporal needs, so that the Word of God truly
finds lodgment there. But the field is good, not only when it lies there
cleared and level, but when it is also rich and fruitful, possesses soil and is
productive, and not like a stony and gravelly field. Just so is the heart that
has good soil and with a full spirit is strong, fertile and good to keep the
Word and bring forth fruit with patience.
Quotations
about the Word of God
Heart of the
New Testament
"The
genuine sacraments, therefore, are Baptism, the Lord's Supper,
and absolution
(which is the sacrament of penitence), for these
rites have the
commandment of God and the promise of grace, which
is the heart of
the New Testament."
Apology of the
Augsburg Confession, Article XIII, Number/Use
Sacraments, The
Book of Concord, ed., Theodore G. Tappert,
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983, p. 211.
Losing Sight of the Means of Grace
"To remain
properly humble while firmly rejecting all erroneous
teachings
regarding the means of grace, we should remind ourselves
how even Christians
who teach and, as a rule, also believe, the
correct
doctrine of the means of grace, in their personal practice
very often lose
sight of the means of grace. This
is done whenever
they base the
certainty of grace, or of the forgiveness of sin, on
their feeling
of grace or the gratia infusa, instead of on God's
promise in the
objective means of grace. All
of us are by nature
'enthusiasts.'"
Francis Pieper,
Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vol.,
trans., Walter
W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing
House, 1953,
III, p. 131.
Luther and the Means of Grace
"No other
human writer has so forcefully as Luther set forth the
nature of the
divinely ordained means of grace, their importance
for faith and
life, and the destructive effect of severing grace
from the means
of grace. For Luther was
trained in the school of
the terrors of
conscience for the work of reforming the Church,
while Zwingli's
reformation and theology sprang largely from the
soil of
Humanism and bears a speculative stamp throughout.
Calvinistic
theology from Calvin down to our day teaches not so
much the God
who has revealed and given Himself to us in His Word,
but at the
critical points substitutes speculations regarding the
absolute God
for what the divine Word teaches."
Francis Pieper,
Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vol., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1953, III, p. 137f.
Do the Means of Grace Limit God?
"Scripture
binds all knowledge of Christian truth to the Word of
Christ, who
says: ean humeis meinete ev
tw logw tw emw...gnwsesthe
ten aletheian
(John 8:31-32). Faith and
regeneration is effected
by the Holy
Ghost through the Word (1 Corinthians 2:4-5; 1 Peter
1:23). The Spirit is received through the
hearing of faith
(Galatians 3:2,
5). The Word of the Cross
(ho logos ho tou
staurou) is the
power of God to those who are saved (1 Corinthians
1:18). Hence actually everything that is
regarded as brought about
by the Holy
Ghost without the Word is factious, 'illusory,'
'self-produced.' The experience one has, or imagines,
without the
means of grace
is not the product of the Holy Ghost, but is
'man-made.'"
Francis Pieper,
Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vol., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1953, III, p. 136.
"Is it not
a limitation of God's sovereignty and power to affirm
that these acts
are accomplished only through means? Theology
does
not deal with
divine possibilities, but with what God has revealed
concerning
Himself and His various forms of activity. Not only
have we no
promise of His intervention otherwise, but He constantly
turns us away
from any expectation of such aid to the simple means,
in and through
which He promises to be always found with His entire
efficacy."
Henry Eyster
Jacobs,
A Summary of
the Christian Faith, Philadelphia: General
Council
Publication
House, 1913, p. 265.
"But in
extraordinary cases, does He not dispense with means?
Even there,
means are employed; but in an extraordinary way. At
Pentecost the
multitudes were converted through the Word, although
this Word was
given under extraordinary conditions and
circumstances,
just as the multitudes in the wilderness were
sustained not
without bread, but with bread furnished in an
extraordinary
manner."
Henry Eyster
Jacobs,
A Summary of
the Christian Faith, Philadelphia: General
Council
Publication
House, 1913, p. 266.
Peculiar Glory of the Lutheran Church
"The
doctrine of the means of grace is a peculiar glory of Lutheran
theology. To this central teaching it owes its
sanity and strong
appeal, its
freedom from sectarian tendencies and morbid
fanaticism, its
coherence and practicalness, and its adaptation to
men of every
race and every degree of culture. The
Lutheran
Confessions
bring out with great clearness the thought of
the Reformers
upon this subject."
"Grace,
Means of,"
The Concordia
Cyclopedia, L. Fuerbringer, Th. Engelder, P. E.
Kretzmann, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1927,
p. 299.
Power to Work and Strengthen Faith
"We saw
before that Scripture ascribes the forgiveness of sins
without
reservation to the Word of the Gospel, to Baptism, and to
the Lord's
Supper. Therefore all means
of grace have the vis
effectiva, the
power to work and to strengthen faith." [Note:
Augsburg
Confession, V, XIII]
Francis Pieper,
Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vol., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1953, III, p. 108f.
True Treasure
"These
means are the true treasure of the church through which
salvation in
Christ is offered. They are
the objective
proclamation of
faith which alone makes man's subjective faith
possible
(Augsburg Confession, Article V). The
Formula of Concord
(Solid
Declaration, Article XI, 76) states expressly that God
alone draws man
to Christ and that he does this only through the
means of
grace."
Walter G.
Tillmanns, "Means of Grace: Use of,"
The
Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church, 3 vol., Julius Bodensieck,
Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1965, II, p. 1505.
"God
bestows His saving grace 'only through the Word and with the
external and
preceding Word' (nisi per verbum et cum verbo externo
et praecedente,
SA-III VIII, 3; Jn 8:31-32; Ro 10:14-17).
Therefore the
Bible inculcates faithful adherence to the Gospel and
the Sacraments
administered according to Christ's institution (Mt
28:19-20; Jn
8:31-32; Acts 17:11; Titus 1:9). Because
of the
strong emphasis
on the Word in the Lutheran Confessions,
Holy Scripture
has rightly been called the Formal Principle of the
Reformation."
John T.
Mueller, "Grace, Means of,"
Lutheran
Cyclopedia, Erwin L. Lueker, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing
House, 1975, p. 343. John
8:31; Rom 10:14
"The Holy
Spirit works through the Word and the Sacraments, which
only, in the
proper sense, are means of grace. Both
the Word and
the Sacraments
bring a positive grace, which is offered to all who
receive them
outwardly, and which is actually imparted to all who
have faith to
embrace it."
Charles P.
Krauth,
The
Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, Philadelphia: The
United Lutheran
Publication House, 1871, p. 127.
All
Glory to God
"In its
teaching on the immutability, unchangeableness, and
permanency of
the means of grace, the Lutheran Church gives all
glory to God
alone because it teaches that no one, not even a
minister of the
Word, can change the means of grace from that which
God
instituted."
Edwin E.
Pieplow, "The Means of Grace,"
The Abiding
Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing
House, 1946, II, p. 333.
"It is God
alone who may speak the word of pardon, who can produce
faith, but it
is God who is speaking in the Gospel and the
Sacraments
(Luke 24:47: 'in His name') and creating faith through
them (Acts
16:14--Lydia; James 1:18; I Thessalonians 2:13). The
word of the
Gospel is therefore not a dead letter, nor are the
Sacraments
empty symbols, but they are the power of God. The power
of God is
inseparably connected with, is inherent in, the means of
grace."
Edwin E. Pieplow,
"The Means of Grace,"
The Abiding
Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing
House, 1946, II, p.
335. Luke 24:47; Acts 16
Holiness of Church
"The
church is recognized, not by external peace but by the Word
and the
Sacraments. For wherever
you see a small group that has
the true Word
and the Sacraments, there the church is if only the
pulpit and the
baptismal font are pure. The
church does not stand
on the holiness
of any one person but solely on the holiness and
righteousness
of the Lord Christ, for He has sanctified her by
Word and
Sacrament."
Martin Luther,
What Luther
Says, An Anthology, 3 vols.,
ed., Ewald
Plass, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House,
1959, I, p. 263. Matthew 24:4-7
"From this
it follows that they act foolishly, yea, against God's
order and
institution, who despise and reject the external Word,
thinking that
the Holy Spirit and faith should come to them without
means. It will indeed be a long time before
that happens."
Martin Luther,
What Luther
Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass,
St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1959, II, p. 915.
Foul Errors
"For we
can definitely assert that where the Lord's Supper,
Baptism, and
the Word are found, Christ, the remission of sins, and
life eternal
are found. On the other
hand, where these signs of
grace are not
found, or where they are despised by men, not only
grace is
lacking but also foul errors will follow. Then men will
set up other
forms of worship and other signs for themselves."
Martin Luther,
What Luther
Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass,
St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1959, II, p. 914.
Genesis 4:3
God Asked No One's Advice
"In
reconciling the world unto Himself by Christ's substitutionary
satisfaction,
God asked no one's advice concerning His singular
method of
reconciliation. In like
manner, without asking any man's
advice, He
ordained the means by which He gives men the infallible
assurance of His
gracious will toward them; in other words, He both
confers on men
the remission of sins merited by Christ and works
faith in the
proffered remission or, where faith already exists,
strengthens
it. The Church has
appropriately called these
divine ordinances
the means of grace, media gratiae, instrumenta
gratiae;
Formula of Concord: 'Instrumenta
sive media Spiritus
Sancti'
(Triglotta, p. 903, Solid Declaration, II, 58). They are
the Word of the
Gospel, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, as will be
shown more
fully on the following pages."
Francis Pieper,
Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vol., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1953, III, p. 103.
"It is
also taught among us that man possesses some measure of
freedom of the
will which enables him to live an outwardly
honorable life
and to make choices among the things that reason
comprehends. But without the grace, help, and
activity of the Holy
Spirit man is
not capable of making himself acceptable to God, of
fearing God and
believing in God with his whole heart, or of
expelling
inborn evil lusts from his heart. This
is accomplished
by the Holy
Spirit, who is given through the Word of God, for Paul
says in 1
Corinthians 2:14, 'Natural man does not receive the gifts
of the Spirit of
God.'" [cites Augustine, Hypognosticon contra
Palaginos]
Augsburg
Confession, Article XVIII, Freedom of the Will,
The Book of
Concord, ed., Theodore G. Tappert, Philadelphia:
Fortress Press,
1983, p. 39. German
trans. 1 Corinthians 2:14
Means of Grace and Victory
"Wherever
the means of grace are present, there the Lord Himself is
present, and
where the Lord rules there is victory. The
true
doctrine of
justification is intimately bound up with the true
doctrine of the
means of grace. In order to
keep the doctrine of
justification
in all its purity, one must ever maintain that the
forgiveness of
sins which Christ earned for mankind can never be
appropriated by
man through any other means than the Word and the
Sacrament. Therefore, Walther said, the correct
doctrine on
justification
stands or falls with the correct doctrine concerning
the means of
grace."
Edwin E.
Pieplow, "The Means of Grace," The Abiding Word,
ed., Theodore
Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House,
1946, II, p. 327. "peculiar glory" passage
follows. See Conc Cyc.
Word Not a Lifeless Instrument
"We are
not, then, in any way to represent to ourselves the
relation of the
Word and the Spirit as though the Word were merely
the lifeless
instrument which the Holy Ghost employed, or as
thought the
Spirit, when he wished to operate through the Word,
must always
first unite himself with it, as if he were
ordinarily
separated from it."
Heinrich
Schmid,
The Doctrinal
Theology of the Ev. Luth. Church, Charles A. Hay,
Henry E.
Jacobs, Philadelphia: Lutheran
Publication Society,
1889, p. 505.
Justification
and the Means of Grace
"The
starting point in presenting the doctrine of the means of
grace must be
the universal objective reconciliation or
justification. This is the procedure of
Scripture."
Francis Pieper,
Christian
Dogmatics, 3 vol., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht,
St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1953, III, p. 105.
"For
Scripture never calls either Baptism or the Lord's Supper
mysteries or
sacraments. Therefore this
is an unwritten (agraphos)
appellation."
Martin
Chemnitz,
Examination of
the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986,
II, p. 29.
Anything Else - Of the Devil
"Accordingly,
we should and must constantly maintain that God will
not deal with
us except through his external Word and sacrament.
Whatever is
attributed to the Spirit apart from such Word and
sacrament is of
the devil."
Smalcald
Articles, Part III, Article VIII, Confession,
The Book of
Concord, ed., Theodore G. Tappert,
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983, p. 313.
