The Third Sunday after Trinity, 2018
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
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 Grace and Gentleness of Jesus the Savior
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 #123 Our God, Our Help
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 #123 Our God, Our Help
KJV 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Third Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we all like sheep have gone astray, having suffered ourselves to be led away from the right path by Satan and our own sinful flesh: We beseech Thee graciously to forgive us all our sins for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ; and quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may abide in Thy word, and in true repentance and a steadfast faith continue in Thy Church unto the end, and obtain eternal salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end Amen.
Background - Objective and Subjective Views of the Scriptures
The problem with most Biblical commentary is that the so-called experts start with a subjective view of the Scriptures, which are correct only to the extent they agree with the expert.
The Roman Catholic Church established this view well before the Reformation and used it against the Lutherans when the papal party could not win against the Lutherans by arguing from the Bible.
The starting point for Rome was - what agrees with Roman dogma? Therefore, they necessarily argued for the lack of clarity and incompleteness of the Biblical witness. Because of all the confusion, everyone needed a Supreme Court and senior justice, which would be the bishops headed by the Pope. The infallible pope concept, which Stephan and Walther propmoted, is easily transferred to Rome, where many LCMS pastors have landed.
Eastern Orthodoxy picked a different route because of their history of brutal, bloody wars over doctrine, so they emphasized worship and took a vague approach to doctrine. They agree with Rome but are tired of the wars. This approach is very appealing to the high church LCMS pastors who leave, sometimes right after ordination.
However, this is not limited to the Lutheran Reformation versus Rome. Zwingli and Calvin decided on approaches they would take, contrary to the Reformation - the efficacy of the Word, the work of the Spirit exclusively through the Word, and the Sacraments as the visible Word, actually conferring forgiveness.
That is why the vast majority of written material on the Bible starts with "What can I do with this story?" It can be compared to politicians who speak of a "narrative" to get them elected, or scammer who scares people into buying something.
All this above is the subjective approach to the Scriptures. The faux-Lutherans of today practice this by starting with their dogma and shaping their narrative from the Bible to fit the agenda.
In contrast, the objective view of the Scriptures means that we take the whole as God's Word, all in perfect harmony, as the revealed truth. Lots of people say "inerrant, infallible, inspired, plenary inspiration, norma normans, etc" but what do the labels mean if they deny what is clearly taught in the Word?
That is why Luther's Sermons are so important. They were his #1 way of teaching, and he also considered preaching the #1 task of the Church.
- What is number #1 today when pastors are encouraged to copy each other's work or to take them (free!) from Craig Groeschel?
- What is number #1 if disagreeing with false doctrine is reason to kick a pastor and congregation out of the organization?
- Is #1 successful in the eyes of the world or faithful in view of the Scriptures?
- Where is expository preaching if #1 is raising money and being successful in the eyes of Christianity Today?
The Grace and Gentleness of Jesus the Savior
KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
This passage could easily be called the introduction to the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Prodigal follows these illustrations and teaches the same grace of the Father in a different light, with good people acting like the outraged Pharisees. I am pointing that out to show how much the setting matters. These are not slips of paper glued together, but complete works all in harmony with the One Truth of the Bible. What is true in one place must be true in another or mistakes are being made.
Jesus' illustrations are begun with an interesting and contrasting audience. The hated tax collectors and obvious sinners drew near to Jesus, because He was the first one to teach them about another righteousness, the righteousness of faith in Him.
They could not be seen that way by the scribes and Pharisees, who argued for the righteousness of works. These works-saints were offended by men (publicans) who extorted taxes for the hated Roman Empire and those sinners who were known as worthy of shunning.
The charges agains the Son of God are severe,
"He welcomes sinners, and
He sits down to dine with them!"
The righteousness of works was not attractive to these people. It was only salt in their wounds. The Pharisees of that day and today would prescribe more Law for those who violated the Law. That is like getting test results (bad!) but no treatment, no medicine, no healing.
The true nature of God the Father is full of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. The mission of Jesus was to teach this and to show this in His own work. The Father and Son are in perfect agreement, and the Holy Spirit witnesses to this harmony.
So Jesus offered two clear parables to illustrate the nature of divine mercy and grace, which is so appropriate for Father's Day. What the Son illustrates is always what the Father teaches - there is no contrast.
1. The words of the Gospel are living and quickening, if we only comprehend them aright. But, in order that we may learn to understand this Gospel better, we will now place before us two classes of men, namely, public sinners and Pharisees, and will make Christ their judge. You have often heard that it is our duty, for love’s sake, to serve our neighbor in all things. If he is poor, we are to serve him with our goods; if he is in disgrace, we are to cover him with the mantle of our honor; if he is a sinner, we are to adorn him with our righteousness and piety. That is what Christ did for us. Philippians 2. He who was so exceedingly rich did, for our sake, empty himself and become poor. He served us with his goods, that we in our poverty might become rich. He was made to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Here the parable puts the listener in the role of the shepherd. We have all lost an animal for a time and went out to find it. If two pet dogs are in the house and a third one has vanished, the third one gets the attention.
This is quite a view - the shepherd leaving the entire flock in the wilderness, where he should be protecting them, and looking for the lost one until he finds it. So Jesus puts us in the shepherd's role, but that is far beyond what a sensible person would do. And that is the point. God is not like man - God does far more than we can imagine. To show us that point, the relationship between God and man is shown in a human dramag where we can identify with many points but see also - yes, only God is like that, a grace far beyond what we can show ourselves, but one that should move us through the Gospel Word.
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
We can identify with the found part, and that should give us joy. What we have done wrong, God rejoices in hauling us back from the precipice.
Sometimes it is doctrinal error, where the agreement of many false teachers will make error seem like the highest good. How can 60 professors and pastors be wrong? - The same way that Rome is wrong, error strengthened by numbers and centuries of tradition. So we can be yanked back by a sudden controversy, conflict, shunning, rejection, and turmoil.
When we have lost an animal, we enjoy telling people about how we found it. Once I asked Sassy to track Precious, and that took about 15 seconds. When Precious saw Sassy, she just sat down - the party is over. I surrender. Take me home.
Man's temptation is to pile more Law on the hurting sinner, but the message here is to rejoice at finding someone. As Luther wrote, it is one thing to share goods and food, which is easy to do. But to identify with the sinner, to cover his sins and be condemned (as Jesus was) is another matter.
Typical of Luther - he points out Jesus covering our sins, which is in the introduction - He is condemned by the works-salesmen. But the nature of God is to rejoice is the lost. So we should not pull back from helping if it casts a bad light on us. That is not to endorse the sin.
"This means that I must love the sinner and be his friend, must be hostile to his vices and earnestly rebuke them, yet that I must love him with all my heart so as to cover his sins with my righteousness."
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
This is another commending of grace for the repenting sinner. Someone may be contrite and ready to start a new life, but is still weak and confused from previous experiences and habits. Yet we rejoice in the new state and the hope that begins to grow.
The 99 are those who imagine themselves beyond all need, and it is an ironic twist or poke at the works-saints. To say they need no repentance is ironic humor, because we are all in need of repentance. It is that state where we feel no need that we harden our hearts against others and no longer feel the need for God's grace and forgiveness, since we are above that.
That is the self-righteousness of apostasy in America today, where most church bodies are done with grace and now want to change society for the better. A 20+ "classic" the Braaten-Jenson Dogmatics makes fun of the Atonement and the cross. The authors subsequently howled over the results of their apostate dogma.
It is easy to notice that the message of American culture is works rather than God's grace in Christ.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
I hate to mention this, but this parable becomes true for us several times before it is a Gospel lesson again. I was actually on a borrowed phone, ordering a new one, when an Army Ranger did a search of our house and found the lost phone. More recently, it was expensive medicine.
Do we not accomplish every possible task to find what is lost? I will crawl on my knees, get out the mega-flashlight, pick up all extra items and shake them out, move, examine, re-examine, and try strange and exotic places for the lost item. Freezer? Don't be so sure. Go ahead and look. Under the papers. I looked. Look again.
There it is, There it is. A similar item.
So when the lost item is found, we rejoice and tell people about it.
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
The bigger the find, the happier we are. The angels rejoice over the repentance of one sinner, so we can see that Jesus teaches grace and forgiveness over condemnation by the Law.
We can always make ourselves feel superior if we are not vulnerable to that one weakness, whatever it might be. However, the entire world lives in condemnation for lack of faith in Christ. That condemnation is universal - except for those who trust in His gentle forgiveness.
Once again we can look at Luther's comparison with all the subjective forms of Christianity. They talk about Jesus all the time - even the radical chaplain at Yale said so, William Sloane Coffin - but they tear down the access to His grace - the Means of Grace.
Where do I find grace? In having a church with 6,000 members drained from other churches? In praying for the US to get out of Nicaragua (a prayer at a wedding)? In being obedient to a denomination? In feeling grace? (Yahoooo.)
Grace is always found and will always be found in the Word, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion.
Father's Day Grace
Every father of a child shoud rejoice in that child, no matter what. God's gift of life, natural or adopted, is a special miracle. We can take that for granted, and many do.
But Jesus is the example of gentle forgiveness. When mothers complained about their children "ruining a rug by spilling on it," my wife said, "Be glad. My daughters cannot spill on anything." The irony is - Erin Joy loved spills of all kinds and had people laughing til they cried over her delight. Falling nurses - hilarious, falling with babies, even funnier. Falling into a wheelchair - breathless with laughter. Falling quart of yogurt shooting upward over a nurse - the best ever. No one was hurt from the human and food spills - everyone had weeks and months and years of laughter from it. One enormous 3 ring binder fell and spilled the papers all over the floor - the nurse, pardon me, cussed over the spill. She heard a tiny voice laughing and laughing. That became the unit's big story of the day.
In that way too, God converts sin into forgiveness through contrition. The way can be very rough at times, for all people, because we all need both components - contrition and forgiveness. But we can rejoice in the forgiveness, just as God and His holy angels do.
21. Therefore, when you feel your sins gnawing at you, and feel your heart trembling and agitated, place yourself beside the publicans where they are standing. These are the very ones who shall receive the Gospel. Do so joyously, and say: “Oh, God! it is thy word that says there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance, and that all the righteous and angels are to interpose and cover up sins. Now, Oh, God! I have come to this that I feel my sins. I am already judged. I need but the one Shepherd who seeketh me; and I will therefore freely venture on thy Gospel.”
22. It is thus that you come to God. You are already the sheep placed upon his shoulders. You have found the Shepherd. You are the piece of silver in the hand. You are the one over whom is joy in heaven in the presence of all the angels. We are not to worry, if we do not experience or feel this at once. Sin will daily decrease, and its sting will drive you to seek God. You must struggle against this feeling by faith, and say: “Oh, God! I know thou hast said this, and I lean upon thy Word. I am the sheep and the piece of silver; thou the shepherd and the woman.”
23. You might say: Yes, this I will gladly do; but I cannot atone for my sins. I can render no satisfaction for them. Consider then the publicans and sinners. What good have they done? None. They came to God, heard his Word and believed it. Do the same. His are living words. The Gospel is too deep to be fathomed by human words. Conscientious men who tried it readily understand this.
22. It is thus that you come to God. You are already the sheep placed upon his shoulders. You have found the Shepherd. You are the piece of silver in the hand. You are the one over whom is joy in heaven in the presence of all the angels. We are not to worry, if we do not experience or feel this at once. Sin will daily decrease, and its sting will drive you to seek God. You must struggle against this feeling by faith, and say: “Oh, God! I know thou hast said this, and I lean upon thy Word. I am the sheep and the piece of silver; thou the shepherd and the woman.”
23. You might say: Yes, this I will gladly do; but I cannot atone for my sins. I can render no satisfaction for them. Consider then the publicans and sinners. What good have they done? None. They came to God, heard his Word and believed it. Do the same. His are living words. The Gospel is too deep to be fathomed by human words. Conscientious men who tried it readily understand this.
