Sunday, February 4, 2018

Sexagesima Sunday, 2018. The Thorn in the Flesh

 Norma A. Boeckler


Sexagesima Sunday, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship



The Hymn #190               Christ the Lord                       
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              

Fools and Wise Guys

The Hymn # 308                    Invited Lord                          
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               

 Norma A. Boeckler

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.

By Norma Boeckler

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.

 Norma A. Boeckler designed the Bethany altar
and created this photograph of it.


Fools and Wise Guys


2 Corinthians 11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.

 This lesson is important to study for several reasons. One is that many people read it superficially and say, "Oh, what a braggart Paul was." They use this passage to show why Paul should be ignored or by-passed, because he praised himself so much. That becomes a reason to treat the Epistles as man's word about God rather than God's Word, so why pay attention to the Pastoral Epistles? Paul was just a creature of his times.

 Since the first part of this lesson leads into the second part, about his unique spiritual experiences, missing the first point makes people think the second part is also bragging.

 Lenski, in spending so much time with the Scriptures and the Lutheran orthodox writers, did not have a superficial view of this passage. This is a perfect example of ironic humor, because underneath the language is some jest. Praise is criticism and Paul's bragging is actually self-denial.

 There is no better passage to illustrate what Jesus said about seeing and not seeing, hearing and not understanding. And yet the mysteries disappear when we have the right attitude toward this lesson as coming from God through Paul. The Apostle was the sharpest of knives against the Gospel, so God converted him with the Gospel, as the risen Lord, to make Paul the sharpest instrument against righteousness through the Law, against unbelief.

 Here is the basic setting, as Lenski and Luther explain so clearly. Paul labored to bring the Corinthians the Gospel, bearing the expense himself as a tent-maker (Acts 18:1-4; I had two English ancestors named Aquila and Priscilla.) The Gospel took root and Paul left after a time. False teachers came in and began wooing the Corinthians with fair speeches, undermining the Gospel, and demanding to be treated as very special leaders.

 A wise person does not listen to foolish chatter, so Paul was criticizing them with praise - "You are so wise that you gladly put up with fools and listen to them."

 Paul always uses the classical virtues in an ironic way. What the Greeks called wisdom, he regarded as foolishness. The cross is true wisdom but the unbelievers consider it foolishness. To this day so-called Christian theologians denounce the cross and the Atonement - because they are the fools in finding God's revelation nothing but foolishness. But listen to their fair words. They write enormous tomes and sell them at high prices, because their fair wods are so much better than the fisherman's voice of the Holy Spirit.

 These wise guys, the unbelieving theologians, want one thing - to take away the faith in others that they lost on their own. Their antennae are alert for their version of the right and the wrong messages. Those burrowed into the "conservative" synods are just as alert, active, and antagonistic as obvious mainline wise guys.

 So we should not be dismayed that there are so many unbelieving teachers and crowds following them. That is a major sign of the Age of Apostasy, which we are in now. Itching ears pile up for themselves false teachers that tell them what they want to hear.

 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.

 Suffer means "allow, bear with" and it also means to experience pain. So the wise people are putting up with and enduring those who enslave them, those who consume what is good, those who take from them and brag about themselves while smacking them in the face, in effect, corrupting them and humiliating them at the same time.

 I am putting Luther's brilliant, extensive descriptions of false teachers at the end because it should be read carefully.

 So Paul made himself a fool by bragging about himself to show the Corinthians how they were blinded and used by the false teachers. Not one of the false teachers could say the same thing, so the contrast is enormous between them and Paul.

 I can put Thrivent YouTube videos on and show the false teachers doing the same thing, smacking people in the face for not listening to them enough, praising themselves into heaven, disparaging the Gospel and Luther in the name of the Gospel and Luther.

 21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.

 Paul was not afraid to describe what was going on in Corinth. He knew. He was the weak one, the pathetic one, but the false teachers were bold and strong. Notice how this leads up to the "thorn in the flesh" - the cause of much speculation. The same thing is true throughout the Christian church. Luther said about one of the faithful, "He is is a  very good pastor and preacher, but the people never stop commenting on how he is always clearing his throat."

 Those annoyed with the Word will attack the pastor personally. If that is not enough for them, they will attack members of his family. That is often done in the most cruel and personal ways possible, which is another reminder of bearing the cross. Stirring up a congregation with personal attacks is a tactic used by church officials and by jealous fellow-clergy, often in the same town or region. We should remember that Jesus' chief opponents were not from the Atheists Forum but from the Temple and synagogues.

 Need I say this? Luther is attacked today, using false information, repeating old lies, sometimes by Catholics (see the book Otten is happy to sell you for a profit) but consistently by Lutherans. They ignore his teaching, twist his words, yammer about things they know nothing about, and call themselves the true Lutherans, the Confessional Lutherans, the Orthodox Lutherans.

 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. 

 This is the great brag session. We should thank God that the antagonists got this from Paul, because it is a good self-portrait, accurate and precise. Paul is saying, "You like false bravado? Here is the real thing."

 There are many examples of physical sufferings, very eloquent, which lead up to 

 that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

 I believe that is the key statement, his emotional exhaustion or turmoil about all his responsibilities, the weight of that burden. I believe that was his thorn in the flesh, which the false teachers mocked. They were so bold and energetic, so sparkly. I have seen that waved around, with a big show put on by false teachers, always looking like the cat that knew where the cream was kept.

 No matter what the solution might be, the climax of this narrative must be remembered.
2 Corinthians 12:9 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.
No matter what the thorn in the flesh might be, there is always something. And it is often held up by unbelievers and false teachers as an accusation, "If you are on God's side, then why are you suffering so?"

 That can be a long-term physical infirmity, an emotional burden, or any number of frailties. It can be like my first big stereo, which was such a good receiver that it pulled in ham radio talk and interfered with all the music. The music from records (remember those) and the noise from the airwaves mixed unpleasantly. Intuition and emotional sensitivity are relatively rare, but they can detect what people would rather tune out if they could.

  29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

 Since "offended" now means "feelings hurt," this has to be changed. Who has fallen into the trap (of false doctrine) and I do not burn with anger?

 So here Paul is talking of rejoicing with those who rejoice and not being a bully with the weak. I know bullies who like to overwhelm people with their so-called strength - they will quote things selectively to make their points and exalt themselves for "winning."

 If someone actually studies Paul instead of selectively quoting him, he showed himself to be quite aware of how inconsequential matters could cause others to stumble in the faith. So he was careful in how he expressed himself. That is true, for example, in his hints in Philemon. He could have ordered but did not. He gently requested instead.

 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. 

 Now we begin to smell the pot roast. This is not a lesson about the greatness of Paul but about his weakness, his thorn, that God did not take away, to show "My power is perfected in weakness, to show My grace is sufficient for you."

 Oh, what a great honor that would have been, for Paul to recover miraculously from his thorn in the flesh, his weakness. He would no longer be mocked, but be met with new respect and honor. God cured Paul through his prayers! 

 Whatever we have or do not have, if we have God's grace, His forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ, we already have heaven and earth. Everything else is material and temporary. 

 Today's Parable of the Sower and the Seed emphasizes that we have only one thing we can do - broadcast the powering, living seed, the Word. Sowing is rather careless, tossing seed here and there, landing in the strangest places, attracting birds and feeding them, sprouting up and dying back, choked by weeds, and yet multiplying so much that the growth of the Word makes up for all the non-growth. The Fulleroids say, "Measure the soil. Get the demographics. Study the market. Sow the weed seed, it grows best." God's Word says, "Nevermind the advice, just sow the living Seed, the Gospel Word, in faith."
PAUL’S DESCRIPTION OF FALSE TEACHERS.

9. Note the master hand wherewith Paul portrays the character of false teachers, showing how they betray their avarice and ambition. First, they permit true teachers to lay the foundation and perform the labor; then they come and desire to do the work over, to reap the honors and the benefits.


Glende had to have the right building for his ego, so he sold this one
for a song and went on synod welfare.
Jeske and Brug got Glende his big church building,
which Glende abandoned before the structure was finished.


They bring about that the name and the work of the true teachers receive no regard and credit; what they themselves have brought — that is the thing. They make the poor, simple-minded people to stare open-mouthed while they win them with flowery words and seduce them with fair speeches, as mentioned in Romans 16:18. These are the idle drones that consume the honey they will not and cannot make. That this was the condition of affairs at Corinth is very clear from this epistle — indeed, from both epistles. Paul continually refers to others having followed him and built upon the foundation he has laid. Messengers of the devil, he terms them.

10. And such false teachers have the good fortune that all their folly is tolerated, even though the people realize how these act the fool, and rather rudely at that. They have success with it all, and people bear with them.

But no patience is to be exercised toward true teachers! Their words and their works are watched with the intent of entrapping them, as complained of in Psalm 17:9 and elsewhere. When only apparently a mote is found, it is exaggerated to a very great beam. No toleration is granted. There is only judgment, condemnation and scorn. Hence the office of preaching is a grievous one. He who has not for his sole motive the benefit of his neighbor and the glory of God, cannot continue therein. The true teacher must labor, and permit others to have the honor and profit of his efforts, while he receives injury and derision for his reward. Here the saying holds true: “To love without guerdon, nor wearying of the burden.” Only the Spirit of God can inspire such love. To flesh and blood it is impossible.

Paul here scores the false prophets when he says, “Ye suffer fools gladly”; in other words, “I know the false preachers often act as fools, nor can they help it, because their teaching is false; yet ye excuse them.”

Kelm copied Fuller Seminary slavishly,
and his Church and Changer group accused everyone else of not being with it,
not being creative, not hard-working like them,
not caring about Holy Mother WELS' future.

11. In the second place such teachers are disposed to bring the people into downright bondage and to bind their conscience by forcing laws upon them and teaching work-righteousness. The effect is that fear impels them to do what has been pounded into them, as if they were bond-slaves, while their teachers command fear and attention. But the true teachers, they who give us freedom of conscience and create us lords, we soon forget, even despise. The dominion of false teachers is willingly tolerated and patiently endured; indeed, it is given high repute. All those conditions are punishments sent by God upon them who do not receive the Gospel with love and gratitude. Christ says ( John 5:43): “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye shall receive.” The Pope, with his spiritual office, became our lord, and we became his captives, through his doctrine of human works. And our present-day schismatics pursue the same object with their fanciful doctrine concerning their works.

DP Jon Buchholz replaced another DP noted for kicking pastors out,
and he began doing the same thing - bu the Changers are spared.
Buchholz lied to the New Mexico congregation and then
tried - and fail - to steal their property through foreclosure.


12. In the third place, false teachers flay their disciples to the bone, and cut them out of house and home, but even this is taken and endured. Such, I opine, has been our experience under the Papacy. But true preachers are even denied their bread. Yet this all perfectly squares with justice! For, since men fail to give unto those from whom they receive the Word of God, and permit the latter to serve them at their own expense, it is but fair they should give the more unto preachers of lies, whose instruction redounds to their injury. What is withheld from Christ must be given in tenfold proportion to the devil. They who refuse to give the servant of the truth a single thread, must be oppressed by liars.

Bad enough to steal the property of a church just kicked out,
but to grab what was long ago thrown out?
Funny how often Mark Jeske's name comes up
in WELS/LCMS examples of false doctrine and perfidy.


13. Fourth, false apostles forcibly take more than is given them. They seize whatever and whenever they can, thus enhancing their insatiable avarice.

This, too, is excused in them. Thus, the great establishments of the Pope did not suffice for him; with various artifices, bulls, laws and indulgences, he has brought under his power land and people and all they possess, exhausting the world by usury. And so it should be, for this state of affairs was richly deserved by men for despising the Gospel and its preachers.

Mark and Avoid Jeske
teaches self-love and fellowship with everyone except Lutherans,
so Thrivent Insurance pays him $140k for being on the board and
making things worse.
The Institute of Lutheran Theology, ELCA-based,
trains women for ordination
and ELS Jay Webber for the ELCA dogma of universal salvation.
Thrivent Choice - a hint at their pro-abortion stance
or a reference to choice meat being second-rate?

14. Fifth, these deceitful teachers, not satisfied with having acquired our property, must exalt themselves above us and lord it over us. Not only do they possess all property, but they must for that very reason become our superiors; must have precedence and receive honor. We bow our knees before them, worship them and kiss their feet. And we suffer it all, yes, with fearful reverence regard it just and right. And it is just and right, for why did we not honor the Gospel by accepting and preserving it?


What can anyone say, except,
"What did WELS do to deserve these clowns, bullies,
camp-followers, and con-artists?"
15. Sixth, our false apostles justly reward us by smiting us in the face. That is, they consider us inferior to dogs; they abuse us, and treat us as footrags.

I venture to say we became sensible of such treatment when, under the Papacy, we were readily put in the van, cursed, condemned and delivered to the devil. We endured it all, suffered most patiently, and yielded up property, honor, body and soul. Fault in a sincere teacher, however, could by no means be tolerated. Very well, then; God is just, and it is his judgment that we must honor the messengers of Satan a thousand times more than his own, and do and suffer everything. “I speak by way of disparagement [speak as concerning reproach], as thought we had been weak.”



The congregations he kicked out or hated out
are begging to return, hoping the terms of surrender
are not too burdensome.
Thus the hirelings feed their sheep to the wolves.
Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 8:39 AM
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