Sunday, December 14, 2014

The Third Sunday in Advent. December 14, 2014. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.
Stewards of the Mysteries of God




The Third Sunday in Advent, 2014

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson




The Hymn # 8 Father Who the Light            2. 20
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 #76 A Great and Mighty Wonder            2.2  

Reliable, Faithful Managers of the Mysteries

The Hymn # 77:1-8 All My Heart               2.25
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 # 77:9-15            All My Heart               2.25

KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

KJV Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Third Sunday In Advent

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst suffer Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to become man, and to come into the world, that He might destroy the works of the devil, deliver us poor offenders from sin and death, and give us everlasting life: We beseech Thee so to rule and govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may seek no other refuge than His word, and thus avoid all offense to which, by nature, we are inclined, in order that we may always be found among the faithful followers of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and by faith in Him obtain eternal salvation, 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.

Reliable, Faithful Managers of the Mysteries.

This is Paul's response to those who belonged to one faction or another, always asserting the superiority of their own group. We should be thankful the Corinthians were so difficult, because they generated a need to address many problems in the Christian Church, which are just as troublesome today as they were then.

Man promotes factions and strife, which we see exhibited in all walks of life, and especially in Christian institutions. Lutherans seem to be universally wrong, based on reactions from every denomination and the Jews. We are the object of suspicion, but we are not a faction. The Book of Concord sought to solve the divisions of the Evangelicals (Lutherans) by addressing the Scriptural passages and also by using the writings of the early Church Fathers.

Those who trust in the inerrancy of the Scriptures and study the Confessions with a sincere to understand the Word will always find themselves in almost complete agreement. Tearing this up is the work of men who vaunt their own dignity and demand respect for all their thoughts. To dissent from their personal views is an attack on Holy Mother Synod, which is the worst crime of all. 

Paul removed this argument (in theory at least) with two phrases:
1. Ministers of Christ.
2. Stewards of the mysteries of God.