Septuagesima Sunday, 2014
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn #132 O God of God 3:55
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 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 # 151 Christ the Life 2:78
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 151 Christ the Life 2:78
Running the Complete Race, Not Just One Heat
The Hymn # 227 Come Holy Ghost 2:72
The Hymn # 227 Come Holy Ghost 2:72
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 #409 Let Us Ever Walk 2:91
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 #409 Let Us Ever Walk 2:91
1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
KJV Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thineis, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Septuagesima Sunday
Lord God, heavenly Father, who through Thy holy word hast called us into Thy vineyard: Send, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may labor faithfully in Thy vineyard, shun sin and all offense, obediently keep Thy word and do Thy will, and put our whole and only trust in Thy grace, which Thou hast bestowed upon us so plenteously through Thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may obtain eternal salvation through Him, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Run the Entire Race
1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
Early on, I learned one thing about "conservative" Lutherans. They were good for one heat, but not for all the other qualifying races - and the final one. One heat was enough and they were done.
Paul's comparison here is directly from the world of sports. Athletics were very important to the Hellenistic world. The early Greeks would stop a war and hold an athletic contest with the same men. Later, they would take the field and go back to war again. Nothing kept them from sports - just like today.
Winning was very important. The Emperor Nero made sure he always won, because it was not enough just to be there.
This is a beautiful comparison to remaining faithful all our lives, not just for a time. I was reading on the Net about runners establishing a pace so they can win a long-distance run. Many sprint out ahead but fail before the race is finished.
One famous Evangelist bragged that he "owned Toronto." He was a big deal for a brief time, but he lost faith and dropped out. His sprint was not good to reach the finish line. And yet he published the fact that he once was number one.
W. F. Buckley said about Kissinger - he completed 3 out of 4 laps and then collected his prize to the cheers of the crowd, while the others finished the race. That was his commentary about the Nobel Prize and the Viet Nam war.
The battle is often recast as if one moment in time matters. Paul says - all are running this race. But only one wins the prize. Run to win the race, not just to be in the opening where the herd starts out at once.
Relatively few remain faithful. I can look at my peers who were confirmed in old-fashioned liturgical churches. They had thorough training. One now is a Hindu. Another one just lost a parent - but there will be no funeral. I read on the Internet about various former Lutherans who went this way and that - such as Steve Jobs, who was famous for being a celebrity Buddhist.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
The crown in those days was a circle of laurel leaves, not the gold crown we often imagine. More importantly, the word crown is the name Stephen. I believe this is a deliberate word-play to remind the believers of that first martyr - Stephen - who was faithful unto death. Even as they were killing him, Stephen witnessed to his faith.
So often mankind is misled into thinking in terms of doing rather than believing. But it is in believing that all our actions are shaped. If we start on the side of doing, we fall into justification by works thinking.
That is so common. When asked about departing from the faith, many clergy will answer, with some wrath, "Do you know what I have done?"
In the race analogy, keeping one's eye on the finish line means subordinating everything to that. The runner will select the right shoes, adhere to the right diet, and keep up the training regimen. One famous boxer, Rocky Marciano, was famous for training far beyond anyone's expectations. He did that for one reason - to outlast the other boxer. And he did.
Navy SEALs train so that they have to jump into ice cold water when they are so exhausted they are falling asleep. They have to learn to ignore the natural need for sleep and make another effort, beyond anyone else's ability.
This crown is incorruptible. Eternal life means being with Christ forever and enjoying the consummation of all His promises. But that also means having a life where the Word is under attack and we tire of that battle.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
The footrace is a good comparison, because anyone can visualize the troop of runners starting out and the weaker ones falling away. Talking does not win the race.
Paul compared his work to running and to fighting. He wanted to complete the race (as in Pilgrim's Progress) and to fight the good fight. Just as pagan false teachers come to our doors for conversion, so do opportunities for the Gospel being taught.
Remaining faithful is the big challenge, because events can discourage us at times. We can waver in our desire to hear the Gospel. But trusting in the Savior, we have our particular roles and crosses laid out for us by God. Desiring only the best for us, He gives us challenges and times of apparent drought. The challenges revive our spirit and hunger for the righteousness of faith. The times of apparent drought help us appreciate His blessings even more.
I was getting tired of publishing, probably just tired of grading papers. And then a new way of finishing e-books came up . That made it fun. And the justification by faith debate started over again.
People talk about the Good Ol' Days. These are the Good Ol' Days. Justification by faith has not been taken seriously by the Synodical Conference in the longest time. I will let others determine when the last time was. At best, it was 30 years ago.
New generations are learning what faith in Christ means. They are opening up the Book of Concord and finding today's issues in front of them. They are reading Luther, learning and chuckling at his humor - but profoundly affected by his spiritual wisdom derived from the Word.
Others have said it for centuries, as Chemnitz did - "We are living in the last days of an insane, old world." Whenever that last day might be, we should still be running and slugging away, not fainting or shadow-boxing.
The footrace is a good comparison, because anyone can visualize the troop of runners starting out and the weaker ones falling away. Talking does not win the race.
Paul compared his work to running and to fighting. He wanted to complete the race (as in Pilgrim's Progress) and to fight the good fight. Just as pagan false teachers come to our doors for conversion, so do opportunities for the Gospel being taught.
Remaining faithful is the big challenge, because events can discourage us at times. We can waver in our desire to hear the Gospel. But trusting in the Savior, we have our particular roles and crosses laid out for us by God. Desiring only the best for us, He gives us challenges and times of apparent drought. The challenges revive our spirit and hunger for the righteousness of faith. The times of apparent drought help us appreciate His blessings even more.
I was getting tired of publishing, probably just tired of grading papers. And then a new way of finishing e-books came up . That made it fun. And the justification by faith debate started over again.
People talk about the Good Ol' Days. These are the Good Ol' Days. Justification by faith has not been taken seriously by the Synodical Conference in the longest time. I will let others determine when the last time was. At best, it was 30 years ago.
New generations are learning what faith in Christ means. They are opening up the Book of Concord and finding today's issues in front of them. They are reading Luther, learning and chuckling at his humor - but profoundly affected by his spiritual wisdom derived from the Word.
Others have said it for centuries, as Chemnitz did - "We are living in the last days of an insane, old world." Whenever that last day might be, we should still be running and slugging away, not fainting or shadow-boxing.
Pastor Webber, thanks for your response. If I understand you correctly, the different phrases change the timing of justification, and would you agree that either “because of Jesus” or “in Jesus” does not change thedeclaration itself, that Jesus and all people are declared righteous?
At a very basic level, without objective justification there is no absolution. It cannot be offered to everyone if it is not objectively true.
Just looking at the basic definitions of Justification & Sanctification,their differences between the two, it seems pretty simple & basic to me. I’ve read many of these papers, for both sides. I see alot of names I do not know, but Scripture in It’s context, as we are taught to take it & use it, appears to be very lacking. Can either side, only allowed to use Scripture first, & only Luther, second, lay out the issues?
To state what should be obvious: “justification by faith alone” also does not mean justification without faith.
526. There are three persons and one God, who has given himself to us wholly and perfectly, with all that he is, and all that he possesses. The Father gives himself to us, with heaven and earth, together with every other creature, in order that they may serve us, and contribute to our necessities. But through the fall of Adam, this gift is obscured and rendered unavailable. For this reason, the Son afterwards gave himself also to us, he bestowed upon us all his works, his sufferings, his wisdom and righteousness, and reconciled us with the Father, by which we, living and restored again, might know and possess the Father also with his gifts.
527. But because this grace would be accessible to no one, if it remained confined so profoundly, and could not come to us, the Holy Ghost therefore descends to us and bestows himself wholly and entirely; he teaches us to know this beneficence of Christ which has been manifested to us; he helps us to receive and preserve it, to use and impart it effectually, to increase and extend it: internally, by faith and other spiritual gifts, but externally through the gospel, through baptism, and the Sacrament of the Altar, by which he comes to us, as through three media or means, and exercises the sufferings of Christ in us, and employs it for the promotion of salvation.
“God doesn’t first justify all people, and then impute the righteousness of Christ to those who believe.”
“And may God judge between us and those who condemn our Christian (sic) confession.”
This “debate” reminds me of a church I visited while traveling a couple of years ago. The retired snow-bird meddling pastor was teaching a bible class, claiming the Bible is full of “if and then” statements. He claimed the 3rd article of the creed was actually only about redemption. He essentially argued eldona’s justification, faith in faith.