The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2014
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time
The Hymn # 239 Come Thou Almighty King 2:72
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
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #269 O Lord Our Father 2:56
Justification Throughout the Bible
The Communion Hymn # 315:11-15 I Come O Savior 2:66
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 #651 Be Still My Soul 2:17
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 #651 Be Still My Soul 2:17
KJV 1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
KJV Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Eighteenth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father: We are poor, miserable sinners; we know Thy will, but cannot fulfill it because of the weakness of our flesh and blood, and because our enemy, the devil, will not leave us in peace. Therefore we beseech Thee, shed Thy Holy Spirit in our hearts, that, in steadfast faith, we may cling to Thy Son Jesus Christ, find comfort in His passion and death, believe the forgiveness of sin through Him, and in willing obedience to Thy will lead holy lives on earth, until by Thy grace, through a blessed death, we depart from this world of sorrow, and obtain eternal life, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Justification Throughout the Bible
KJV Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
The religious opponents of Jesus are historically true, and the polemic continues to this day. But the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees also represent the spirit of justification by works and reliance on the law, which is dominant in the visible church of this day.
We can view the religious opponents as allegories of the eternal struggle between faith and unbelief. When an unbeliever hears the Gospel, he often reacts against it. People find an endless array of expressions where they can remain in unbelief and yet use the language of faith.
On the academic side, the academic theologians reward those who do not believe in Christ and who dance around that topic. They know and understand that the faith words are just there as structure for the philosophy being presented. They hail this as creative, refreshing, exciting, and groundbreaking.
The modern Lutheran theologians who teach faith are almost non-existent. Their disciples gather around and bow to their greatness, chattering about these fellow apostates as "Confessional." If anyone dares to dispute this, the response is exactly the same as the scribes and Pharisees. Thus Carl Braaten rejected all the articles of faith in the Creeds, the most basic ones, and he is called a "confessional Lutheran" because he has expressed dismay with ELCA, an organization he helped create with a lifetime of false teaching in ELCA schools. Worst of all, he helped write a dogmatics textbook that rejected Christianity while using some words of faith rather selectively.
When the Gospel is rejected, the Law must replace it. Moses is the savior. Of course, this is not the Law of the Bible, but the Law of man. One must obey all the laws of human tradition in that organization or be banished with an excommunication more horrible and swift than any carried out legitimately. As Father Richard Neuhaus said, when liberals excommunicate, they excommunicate for life. He was always a liberal, but became a little less liberal over time. That was not allowed, so he was banished and attacked in public - even though he helped shape ELCA through Seminex, their portable mini-seminary.
Jesus had silenced His opponents, so the battle was on. They would defeat Him with a question He could not answer.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Tempting is such a good word to use here. One could say, testing, or even trying, but the idea is to trap Jesus with a question. Many people do this when they want to hear the "wrong answer" so they can pounce. Church officials are nimble in always answering ambiguously or in changing the subject so their unbelief is not exposed.
The right way to deal with opponents is to answer clearly and plainly. If there is an error in communication or in understanding, they can be worked out. If the intention is false and deceptive, it is all the more reason to answer from faith rather than trying to be pleasing or diplomatic.
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
This is where Jewish leaders will say, "All the Jewish scholars agree with this. Nothing new here." I have gone to the Jewish Encyclopedia many times, to get their perspective on various issues. The main idea is this - Jesus was a rabbi like many other rabbis. What He taught and did was common for that time, including miracles.
That will always be the rationalistic response, which refuses faith and and cannot see anything revealed by the Holy Spirit as a mystery. Many modern Lutherans exist happily and blindly in that same mode. Thus they will always grasp some form of law because of their unbelief.
Of course this word love is connected with faith. Love is the result of trusting the Word, which reveals the true nature of God. As the new book will show, the Holy Trinity is taught throughout the Bible, from Creation to the Heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation. The true nature of God is mercy, love, and forgiveness. So we fallible, weak, and stumbling humans look to God with love because of His gracious and loving nature.
This statement also shows us the result of loving God - loving our neighbor and caring for our neighbor's needs. That is so enjoyable and fulfilling. We like our roses outside. Our neighbors like them inside. Pruning them the right way means we have more in bloom outside and they enjoy theirs inside.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
Jesus answered their question correctly, so there was nothing more to say about that. But He asked the ultimate question leading to faith. Who is the Messiah? Whose son is He?
The correct answer, beyond dispute, is - David's. That is the one word answer in the Greek text. The KJV adds "The Son of" to make it clear. In conversation we would probably be just as concise, saying "David's."
This is leading them into a response, which is typical of the rabbi-audience dialogue. The audience asks difficult questions and the rabbi asks them stumpers as well, a good tradition for thinking and teaching.
A good question leads to an inevitable meeting point, whether it means agreement or opposition.
43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
This response always confused me when I was very young. Many portions of Scripture are plain and clear so that no one can miss their meaning. This seems so convoluted. As adults we learn that faith untangles these passages.
David - in the Spirit - has faith and calls his descendant "Lord" because he believes in the coming Messiah, centuries to come.
Son suggests a subordinate position, which is common in human families. Everyone wants to be equal to the great patriarch. But David was the model king, the great leader of history, yet he called his descendant Lord.
Since the response demanded an answer from faith or rejection of faith, the opponents were afraid to answer.
Unbelievers hair-split and use ambiguities to make their answers pleasing to both sides. But faith makes us bold to respond with God's Word rather than man's wisdom.
Unbelief will not stop opposing faith. The worst comes from the great, the wise, the honored spiritual leaders who cover up for criminals and may have a criminal past of their own. They know the visible unity of the church requires public relation falsehoods, while the truth of God's Word sparks revolutions.
God delights to do His work through the insignificant members of the church while the great and mighty parade in their best clergy costumes.
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