From Various Lutheran Hymnals - The Efficacy of God's Word,

The Link to the Entire Efficacy List Is Here

(1) Almighty God, thy word is cast Like seed into the ground, Now let the dew of heaven descend And righteous fruits abound.
(2) Let not the foe of Christ and man This holy seed remove, But give it root in every heart To bring forth fruits of love.
(3) Let not the world's deceitful cares The rising plant destroy, But let it yield a hundredfold The fruits of peace and joy.
(4) Oft as the precious seed is sown Thy quickening grace bestow, That all whose souls the truth receive Its saving power may know."
John Cawood, 1775‑1852, "Almighty God, Thy Word Is Cast," Service Book and Hymnal, Philadephia: Board of Publication, 1958, Hymn #196. TLH Hymn #49. Mark 4:3‑9.

(6) "For the joy Thine advent gave me, For Thy holy, precious Word; For Thy Baptism, which doth save me, For Thy blest Communion board; For Thy death, the bitter scorn, For Thy resurrection morn, Lord, I thank Thee and extol Thee, And in heaven I shall behold Thee."
Thomas Kingo, 1689, cento, "Like the Golden Sun Ascending," The Lutheran Hymnal, trans., George T. Rygh, 1908 St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #207. Acts 2:32.

(1) "Almighty Father, bless the Word Which through your grace we now have heard Oh, may the precious seed take root, Spring up, and bear abundant fruit.
(2) We praise you for the means of grace As homeward now our steps we trace. Grant, Lord, that we who worshiped here May all at last in heaven appear."
Scandinavian, The Lutheran Hymnary, 1913, Lutheran Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #216. Mark 4.

(2) "Thou holy Light, Guide Divine, Oh, cause the Word of Life to shine! Teach us to know our God aright And call Him Father with delight. From every error keep us free; Let none but Christ our Master be That we in living faith abide, In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
Martin Luther, 1524, "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord!" The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #224. Acts 2:4.

(1) "O Holy Spirit, enter in And in our hearts Thy work begin, Thy temple deign to make us; Sun of the soul, Thou Light Divine, Around and in us brightly shine, To joy and gladness wake us That we, In Thee Truly living, To Thee giving Prayer unceasing, May in love be still increasing.
(2) Give to Thy Word impressive power That in our hearts, from this good hour, As fire it may be glowing; That we confess the Father, Son, And Thee, the Spirit, Three in One, Thy glory ever showing. Stay Thou, Guide now Our souls ever That they never May forsake Thee, But by faith their Refuge make Thee." Michael Schirmer, 1640, alt., "O Holy Spirit, Enter In," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #235. Isaiah 11:2.

(2) "Come, Thou Incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword, Our prayer attend. Come and Thy people bless And give Thy Word success; Stablish Thy righteousness, Savior and Friend!"
Author unknown, c. 1757, "Come, Thou Almighty King," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #239. Revelation 4:8.

(4) Glory and praise, still onward reaching, Be Thine, O Spirit of all grace, Whose holy power and faithful teaching Give me among Thy saints a place. Whatever of good by me is done Is wrought by grace divine alone."
Johann Mentzer, cento, "Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #243. Psalm 148:1.

(3) "God would not have the sinner die, His Son with saving grace is nigh, His Spirit in the Word doth teach How man the blessed goal may reach."
Author unknown, 1719, "God Loved the World So That He Gave," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #245. John 3:16.

(1) "Thy word, O Lord, like gentle dews, Falls soft on hearts that pine; Lord, to thy garden never refuse This heavenly balm of thine. Watered by thee, let every tree Then blossom to thy praise, By grace of thine bear fruit divine Through all the coming days.
(2) Thy word is like a flaming sword, A wedge that cleaveth stone; Keen as a fire, so burns thy word, And pierceth flesh and bone. Let it go forth over all the earth To cleanse our hearts within, To show thy power in Satan's hour, And break the might of sin." (Garve, 1763‑1841)
Carl Bernhard Garve, "Thy Word, O Lord, Like Gentle Dews," Service Book and Hymnal, Philadephia: Board of Publication, 1958, Hymn #254. Isaiah 55:10; Hebrews 4:12.

(1) "Flung to the heedless winds Or on the waters cast, The martyrs' ashes, watched, Shall gathered be at last. And from that scattered dust, Around us and abroad, Shall spring a plenteous seed Of witnesses for God."
Martin Luther, 1523, "Flung to the Heedless Winds," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #259. Acts 7:59.

(1) "Preach you the Word and plant it home To men who like or like it not, The Word that shall endure and stand When flowers and men shall be forgot. (2) We know how hard, O Lord, the task Your servant bade us undertake: To preach your Word and never ask What prideful profit it may make. (3) The sower sows; his reckless love Scatters abroad the goodly seed, Intent alone that men may have The wholesome loaves that all men need. (4) Though some be snatched and some be scorched And some be chocked and matted flat, The sower sow; his heart cries out, 'Oh, what of that, and what of that?' (5) Preach you the Word and plant it home And never faint; the Harvest Lord Who gave the sower seed to sow Will watch and tend his planted Word."
Martin H. Franzmann, 1907‑76, "Preach You the Word," Lutheran Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #259. Mark 4.

"O Lord, look down from heaven, behold And let Thy pity waken; How few are we within Thy fold, Thy saints by men forsaken! True faith seems quenched on every hand, Men suffer not Thy Word to stand; Dark times have us overtaken. (2) With fraud which they themselves invent Thy truth they have confounded; Their hearts are not with one consent On Thy pure doctrine grounded. While they parade with outward show, They lead the people to and fro, In error's maze astounded. (3) May God root out all heresy And of false teachers rid us Who proudly say: 'Now, where is he That shall our speech forbid us? By right or might we shall prevail; What we determine cannot fail; We own no lord and master. (5) As silver tried by fire is pure From all adulteration So through God's Word shall men endure Each trial and temptation. Its light beams brighter through the cross, And purified from human dross, It shines thru every nation."
Martin Luther, 1523, "O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #260. Psalm 12.

(3) "Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill, They shall not overpower us. This world's prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none, He's judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him."
Martin Luther, 1529, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #262. Psalm 46.

"The Law commands and makes us know What duties to our God we owe; But 'tis the Gospel must reveal Where lies our strength to do His will. (2) My soul, no more attempt to draw Thy life and comfort from the Law. Fly to the hope the Gospel gives; The man that trusts the promise lives."
Isaac Watts, 1709, "The Law Commands and Makes Us Know," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #289. Psalm 19:9.

"Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide, For round us falls the eventide; Nor let Thy Word, that heavenly light, For us be ever veiled in night. (2) In these last days of sore distress Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness That pure we keep, till life is spent, Thy holy Word and Sacrament. (3) Lord Jesus, help, Thy Church uphold, For we are sluggish, thoughtless, cold. Oh, prosper well Thy Word of grace And spread its truth in every place. (6) The haughty spirits, Lord, restrain Who over Thy Church with might would reign And always set forth something new, Devised to change Thy doctrine true. (8) A trusty weapon is Thy Word, Thy Church's buckler, shield, and sword. Oh, let us in its power confide That we may seek no other guide!"
Nikolaus Selnecker et al.,"Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #292. Selnecker, 1611, Luke 24:29.

(3) "But your strong love, it sought us still And sent your only Son That we might hear his shepherd's voice And, hearing him, be one."
Martin H. Franzmann, 1907‑76, "In Adam We Have All Been One," Lutheran Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #292. John 10.

"The Law of God is good and wise And sets His will before our eyes, Shows us the way of righteousness, And dooms to death when we transgress. (2) Its light of holiness imparts The knowledge of our sinful hearts That we may see our lost estate And seek deliverance ere too late."
Matthias Loy, 1863, "The Law of God Is Good and Wise," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #295. Psalm 19:8.

"Speak, O Lord, Thy servant heareth, To Thy Word I now give heed; Life and spirit Thy Word beareth, All Thy Word is true indeed, Death's dread power in me is rife; Jesus, may Thy Word of Life Fill my soul with love's strong fervor That I cling to Thee forever."
Anna Sophia, 1658, "Speak, O Lord, Thy Servant Heareth," The Lutheran Hymnal, trans., George T. Rygh, 1909 St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #296. 1 Samuel 3:10.

"The Gospel shows the Father's grace, Who sent His Son to save our race, Proclaims how Jesus lived and died That man might thus be justified. (2) It sets the Lamb before our eyes, Who made the atoning sacrifice, And calls the souls with guilt opprest To come and find eternal rest. (3) It brings the Savior's righteousness Our souls to robe in royal dress; From all our guilt it brings release And gives the troubled conscience peace. (4) It is the power of God to save From sin and Satan and the grace; It works the faith, which firmly clings To all the treasures which it brings. (5) It bears to all the tidings glad And bids their hearts no more be sad; The heavy laden souls it cheers And banishes their guilty fears." Matthias Loy, 1863, "The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #297. John 3:16.

"Baptized into Thy name most holy, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I claim a place, though weak and lowly, Among Thy seed, Thy chosen host. Buried with Christ and dead to sin, Thy Spirit now shall live within."
Johann J. Rambach, 1734, "Baptized into Thy Name Most Holy," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #298. Matthew 28:19.

(4) "O Triune God, we humbly pray That all Thy blessings be conferred Upon this child here cleansed today By means of water and the Word."
Albert Knapp, 1841, "Dear Father, Who Hast Made Us All," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #299. Galatians 3:27.

(1) "Dearest Jesus, we are here, Gladly Thy command obeying; With this child we now draw near In accord with Thin own saying That to Thee it shall be given As a child and heir of heaven. (2) Yea, Thy word is clear and plain,And we would obey it duly: 'He who is not born again, Heart and life renewing truly, Born of water and the Spirit, Can My kingdom not inherit.' (3) Therefore hasten we to Thee, In our arms this infant bearing; Let us here Thy glory see, Let this child, Thy mercy sharing In Thine arms be shielded ever, Thine on earth and Thine forever. (4) Gracious Head, Thy member own; Shepherd, take Thy lamb and feed it; Prince of Peace, make here Thy throne; Way of Life, to heaven lead it; Precious Vine, let nothing sever From Thy side this branch forever."
Benjamin Schmolck, 1704, "Dearest Jesus, We Are Here," The Lutheran Hymnal, trans., Catherine Winkworth St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #300. Mark 10:13‑16.

(1) "He that believes and is baptized Shall see the Lord's salvation; Baptized into the death of Christ, He is a new creation. Through Christ's redemption he shall stand Among the glorious heavenly band Of every tribe and nation. (2) "With one accord, O God, we pray: Grant us Thy Holy Spirit; Look Thou on our infirmity Through Jesus' blood and merit. Grant us to grow in grace each day That by this Sacrament we may Eternal life inherit."
Thomas Kingo, 1689, "He That Believes and Is Baptized," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #301. Mark 16:16.

(1) "An aweful mystery is here To challenge faith and waken fear: The Savior comes as food divine, Concealed in earthly bread and wine. (2) This world is loveless‑‑but above, What wondrous boundlessness of love! The King of Glory stoops to me My spirit's life and strength to be. (3) In consecrated wine and bread No eye perceives the mystery dread; But Jesus' words are strong and clear: 'My body and My blood are here.' (4) How dull are all the powers of sense Employed on proofs of love immense! The richest food remains unseen, And highest gifts appear‑‑how mean! (5) But here we have no boon on earth, And faith alone discerns its worth. The Word, not sense, must be our guide, And faith assure since sight's denied."
Matthias Loy, 1880, "An Aweful Mystery Is Here," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #304. 1 Corinthians 11:23.

(6) "Human reason, though it ponder, Cannot fathom this great wonder That Christ's body ever remaineth Though it countless souls sustaineth And that He His blood is giving With the wine we are receiving. These great mysteries unsounded Are by God alone expounded."
Johann Franck, 1649, "Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #305. Revelation 19:8.

(4) "We eat this bread and drink this cup, Thy precious Word believing That Thy true body and Thy blood Our lips are here receiving. This word remains forever true, And there is naught Thou canst not do; For Thou, Lord, art almighty."
Samuel Kinner, 1638, "Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Hast Prepared," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #306. 1 Corinthians 11:26.

(1) "Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord And drink the holy blood for you outpoured. Offered was He for greatest and for least, Himself the Victim and Himself the Priest."
c. 680,"Draw Night and Take the Body of the Lord," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #307.
Latin author unknown Psalm 34:8.

(1) "Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray That we may feed on Thee today; Beneath these forms of bread and wine Enrich us with Thy grace divine. (2) The chastened peace of sin forgiven, The filial joy of hears of heaven, Grant as we share this wondrous food, Thy body broken and Thy blood. (3) Our trembling hearts cleave to Thy Word; All Thou hast said Thou dost afford, All that Thou art we here receive, And all we are to Thee we give."
Henry E. Jacobs, 1910, "Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #314. 1 Corinthians 10:17.

(1) "O living Bread from heaven, How richly hast Thou fed Thy guest! The gifts Thou now hast given Have filled my heart with joy and rest. O wondrous food of blessing, O cup that heals our woes! My heart, this gift professing, In thankful songs overflows; For while the faith within me Was quickened by this food, My soul hath gazed upon Thee, My highest, only Good."
Johann Rist, 1651, "O Living Bread from Heaven," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #316. Matthew 26:26‑29.

(4) "Give us Thy Spirit, peace afford Now and forever, gracious Lord. Preserve to us till life is spent Thy holy Word and Sacrament."
Nikolaus Selnecker, 1572, "O Faithful God, Thanks Be to Thee," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #321. Psalm 6:1.

(1) "Thy strong word did cleave the darkness: At thy speaking it was done. For created light we thank thee, While thine ordered seasons run. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!" (v. 3) "Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright with thine own holiness, Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess..."
Martin H. Franzmann, 1907‑76, "Thy Strong Word," Lutheran Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #328.

(3) "Therefore my hope is in the Lord And not in mine own merit; It rests upon His faithful Word To them of contrite spirit That He is merciful and just; This is my comfort and my trust. His help I wait with patience."
Martin Luther, 1523, "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee," The Lutheran Hymnal, Trans., Catherine Winkworth, 1863 alt. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #329. Psalm 130.

(1) "Yea,as I live, Jehovah saith, I would not have the sinner's death, But that he turn from error's ways, Repent, and live through endless days. (2) To us therefore Christ gave command: 'Go forth and preach in every land; Bestow on all My pardoning grace Who will repent and mend their ways. (3) 'All those whose sins ye thus remit I truly pardon and acquit, And those whose sins ye do retain Condemned and guilty shall remain. (4) 'What ye shall bind, that bound shall be; What ye shall loose, that shall be free; Unto My Church the keys are given To ope and close the gates of heaven.' (5) The words which absolution give Are His who died that we might live; The minister whom Christ has sent Is but His humble instrument. (6) When minister lay on their hands, Absolved by Christ the sinner stands; He who by grace the Word believes The purchase of His blood receives."
Nicolaus Herman, 1560, "Yea, As I Live, Jehovah Saith," The Lutheran Hymnal, Trans. Matthias Loy, 1880, alt. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #331. Ezekiel 33:11.

"O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high, O Truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky: We praise you for the radiance that from the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps, Shines on from age to age."
William W. How, 1823‑97, "O Word of God Incarnate," Lutheran Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #335. TLH #294. Psalm 119:105.

"I know my faith is founded On Jesus Christ, my God and Lord; And this my faith confessing, Unmoved I stand upon His Word. Man's reason cannot fathom The truth of God profound; Who trusts her subtle wisdom Relies on shifting ground. God's Word is all sufficient, It makes divinely sure, And trusting in its wisdom, My faith shall rest secure."
Erdmann Neumeister, 1713, "I Know My Faith Is Founded," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #381. 2 Timothy 1:12.

(10) "What I have done and taught, teach thou, My ways forsake thou never; So shall My kingdom flourish now And God be praised forever. Take heed lest men with base alloy The heavenly treasure should destroy; This counsel I bequeath thee."
Martin Luther, 1523, "Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #387. Romans 3:28.

(1) "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?"
"Keen," 1787, "How Firm a Foundation," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #427. Isaiah 43:1‑7.

(1) "On what has now been sown Thy blessing, Lord, bestow; The power is Thine alone To make it spring and grow. Do Thou in grace the harvest raise, And Thou alone shalt have the praise."
John Newton, 1779, cento, alt., "On What Has Now Been Sown," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #46. 1 Corinthians 3:6.

"Rise, Thou Light of Gentile nations, Jesus, bright and Morning Star; Let Thy Word, the gladsome tidings, Ring out loudly near and far, Bringing freedom to the captives, Peace and comfort to the slave, That the heathen, free from bondage, May proclaim Thy power to save."
Herman Fick, 1885, "Rise, Thou Light of Gentile Nations," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #498. Isaiah 60:1.

(4) "Send them Thy mighty Word to speak Till faith shall dawn and doubt depart, To awe the bold, to stay the weak, And bind and heal the broken heart."
William C. Bryant, "Look from Thy Sphere of Endless Day," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #499. Bryant, 1840 Isaiah 35.

(1) "Lord, open Thou my heart to hear And through Thy Word to me draw near; Let me Thy Word ever pure retain, Let me Thy child and heir remain. (2) Thy Word doth deeply move the heart, Thy Word doth perfect health impart, Thy Word my soul with joy doth bless, Thy Word brings peace and happiness."
Johannes Olearius, 1671, "Lord, Open Thou My Heart to Hear," The Lutheran Hymnal, trans., Matthias Loy, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #5. Psalm 119:140.

(4) "The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay, Rocks fall to dust, and mountains melt away; But fixed this Word, this saving power, remains; Thy realms shall last, thine own Messiah reigns."
A. Pope, "Rise, Crowned with Light, Imperial Salem, Rise," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #503. Pope, 1712 Isaiah 60:1ff.

(2) "Give tongues of fire and hearts of love To preach the reconciling Word; Give power and unction from above Wherever the joyful sound is heard."
James Montgomery, 1823, "O Spirit of the Living God," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #504. Acts 2:3.

(3) "Gird each one with the Spirit's Sword, The sword of Thine own death‑ less Word, And make them conquerors, conquering Lord, Where Thou Thyself wilt come."
Mary C. Gates, 1888, "Send Thou, O Lord, To Every Place," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #506. Romans 8:37.

"Spread, oh, spread, thou mighty Word, Spread the kingdom of the Lord, Wheresoever His breath has given Life to beings meant for heaven."
Jonathan Bahnmaier, "Spread, Oh, Spread, Thou Mighty Word," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #507. Bahnmaier, 1827 Romans 10:15.

(3) "Great the need in every nation, Dense the darkness of sin's night; Let Thy Spirit bring salvation, Love's pure flame, and wisdom's light, Give the Word, Thy preachers strengthen With the prophets' power of old, Help them Zion's cords to lengthen, All Thy wandering sheep to fold."
Arthur Coxe, W. G. Polack, "Savior, Sprinkle Many Nations," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #510.

"Though all the powers of evil The will of God oppose, His purpose will not falter, His pleasure onward goes. Whatever God's will resolveth, Whatever He intends, Will always be accomplished True to His aims and ends."
Paul Gerhardt, 1656, "Commit Whatever Grieves Thee," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #520. Isaiah 55.

"In Thee, Lord, have I put my trust; Leave me not helpless in the dust, Let me not be confounded. Let in Thy Word My faith, O Lord, Be always firmly grounded."
Adam Reusner, 1533, "In Thee, Lord, Have I Put My Trust," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #524. Psalm 31:1‑5.

(3) "Then hail, ye mighty legions, yea, All hail! Now save and blest for aye, And praise the Lord, who with His Word Sustained you on the way."
Hans A. Brorson, c. 1760, "Behold a Host, Arrayed in White," The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #656. Revelation 7:13‑17.

Ascension Day, 2012.

Ascension, Holy Communion Service, 2012

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 8 AM Phoenix Time

The Hymn #221  Hark Ten Thousand Harps  3:33

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    Acts 1:1-11

The Gospel            Mark 16:14-20

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 216  On Christ’s Ascension            3:41

Believe and Confess

The Hymn #316   O Living Bread            3:45

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 #294 O Word of God            3:31

KJV Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. 50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

[The ending of Luke fits with the opening of Acts, which Luke also wrote.]

KJV Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

KJV Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Ascension

O Jesus Christ, Thou almighty Son of God, who art no longer in humiliation here on earth, but sittest at the right hand of Thy Father, Lord over all things: We beseech Thee, send us Thy Holy Spirit; give Thy Church pious pastors, preserve Thy word, control and restrain the devil and all who would oppress us: mightily uphold Thy kingdom, until all Thine enemies shall have been put under Thy feet, that we may hold the victory over sin, death, and the devil, through Thee, who livest and reignest with God the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

By Norma Boeckler

Believe and Confess

KJV Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

First Ascension Sermon – Luther - http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/04/luthers-sermons-mark-1614-20-ascension_5750.html

Second Ascension Sermon – Luther - http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/04/luthers-sermons-mark-1614-20-ascension_21.html

Third Ascension Sermon – Luther - http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/04/luthers-sermons-mark-1614-20-ascension.html

The moderns decided against the ending of Mark, so they do not like the traditional Gospel for this day. The modern translations do a lot of this, so this lesson is a reminder of their cavalier attitude about the Bible. They began with this lesson, then moved on to changing the actual meaning of each verse. They know what God would have said in Greek if He had been a better writer – like them.

Luther pointed out that this lesson has been criticized for having the wrong times, pushing everything together. But that falls apart when Mark is seen as condensing the events from the resurrection to the Ascension. Mark is the shortest Gospel and duplicates almost every single verse in Matthew and Luke, so it could have been the first Gospel harmony. No one agrees, and it does not matter for any believer – on for those defending doctoral dissertations about Mark’s Gospel.

Another point - the first three Gospels describe the public ministry of Jesus as one year, the Fourth Gospel as three years. People accept the three-year ministry and understand that the first three Gospels are not trying to be travelogues or diaries, but passion accounts (about 25% of each Gospel).

This account makes modern man address a basic question in the theme Luther raised – believe and confess. Ever since the Age of Rationalism, from the 18^th century on, the Bible has been subjected to analysis based on man’s reason. If it is not within man’s reason and experience, it cannot be true.

This is where the revelation of God’s Word transcends all human reason, knowledge, or wisdom. Faith in the Word sets aside what man claims to be true and trusts in the message from God.

KJV Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Although Jesus led His disciples gently along, He also rebuked them for lack of faith. This happened during His public ministry and also after His resurrection. Of course, we say, “How could they doubt after the empty tomb, seen by others, after all He promised?” The same could be said of us, since we know that and more, after many centuries of Christian teaching.

I can see the conclusion of Mark being used as a concise catechism or lesson about the resurrection and ascension of Christ, with additional passages used in study to supplement the main message.

After all, there are references to the two Emmaus disciples (verse 12 – the two of them) but the complete story is told only in Luke.

The rebuking reminds us that the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin, because we do not believe. In all of Luther’s sermons, this is emphasized. Faith implies thought and action. In the first sermon for Ascension, Luther preaches and believing and confessing.

There is quite a difference between knowing/seeing and believing. As we see in the calming of the storm, when fear enters in, faith flies out the window. It is easy to believe in Christ, but to keep believing in Him is a struggle against our Old Adam, the unbelieving world, and the deceptions of Satan.

Some might say, “I would believe in Him if I saw someone risen from the dead.”

The rich man said that in his torment, wanting someone to warn his brothers who were still alive. The answer was stern – They have Moses and the prophets.

Faith comes from the efficacy of the Word. The Holy Spirit speaks to the hearer or the reader, planting or confirming faith in that person. Jesus taught thousands of people. The Holy Spirit teaches millions, bringing Christ to them in every corner of the globe.

Believe and confess. To believe without confessing the truth is not genuine faith. Confessing the truth means convicting the unbelieving world of sin – because they do not believe.

That is bearing the cross – to be met by scorn, mockery, anger, insults, and slander – and not just from clergy and church officials. Cult members and atheists are just as bad.

Luther once said, “The cross means being willing to be slugged in the mouth.”

Satan is a powerful creature of a thousand arts, and he knows where we are weak. He uses his troops to exploit those weaknesses.

But the Holy Spirit is the master of 100,000 arts, and can vanquish Satan with one Word of God. (Large Catechism – marked in blue on the blog post.)

Unbelief causes hardness of heart and blindness. Trying to teach the Word makes the blindness and hardening worse. But the cause is not ours, and that is God’s will when people refuse to hear the Word. They may rejoice at the moment but they pay a terrible price later.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

One way to test the meaning of a passage is to compare it to a parallel. This parallels the Great Commission in Matthew. It does not say “you have to make disciples” but “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.”

Ever since man has tried to turn the Gospel into a law of some kind:

• Leave the world and become monks praying for your own salvation.
• Obey these rules to qualify for eternal life.
• Transform the world.
• Create a just society with the New Deal (based on the Social Gospel Movement’s platform of legislation).
• Form cell groups.

The Gospel causes and encourages faith because the Holy Spirit conveys Jesus to us in its message. We need that constant nurturing because we can do nothing by ourselves.

Although people wonder about God allowing the world to continue so long, we should also consider His patience and His constant providing for the Gospel to reach new people.

I published Bente’s Historical Introductions on the blog – for pastors and interested laity. The first one to thank me was a classmate from Moline, a woman who drives trucks. She is a Lutheran. And she said, “Thanks for sending this over. I enjoy the study material and thirst for more!” I always think others think the same way. I hear from quite a few, and 2,000 pages are read each day now.

Today, also, an Appleton Lutheran pastor informed me that I was a nut for doubting Obama and the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays. You would think a pastor would say, “Thanks for making my sermon preparation easier and faster, with all the Book of Concord and Luther materials – plus hymn graphics, Biblical graphics, and doctrinal graphics – so I don’t have to steal from Groeschel anymore.”

That illustrates what we should do – broadcast in the old fashioned sense of the word, scattering the living Word in all directions and letting God accomplish His will through the Word. Jesus did not say, “Be successful” but “Preach the Gospel.”

Luther – First Ascension Sermon:

Therefore, I will form for myself another people, which shall know me and love me. When they see that I will not regard their works but will give them every good thing freely, their hearts will teem with joy and will never weary of my praise.

8. Therefore, beware of glossing the text and seeking to improve upon the words of Christ. Our doctors and colleges have tried to better them and have said these words must be understood thus: “He that believeth” (understand: and doeth good works), “shall be saved.” Who authorized them to make that insertion? Do you think the Holy Spirit was too stupid to make it? Thus they have utterly obscured, yea, perverted, this precious statement with their insertion. Therefore, take heed and let no one make an insertion for you, but abide by the text as it reads and understand it thus: “He that believeth shall be saved” without his merit, without any works.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

This is a good concise statement of salvation only through faith, damnation from not believing. This is not a way to belittle baptism at all. The Word is used with water for our benefit. An adult may ask for baptism to fit in with others, to benefit himself. He is not saved by baptism but by faith in Christ.

For instance, someone asked me for baptism because “she had tried everything else.” I did not refuse but asked her to look into her other problems, because she had an obvious medical condition.

Babies become believers through the Word in baptism, but parents also have the responsibility to nurture that faith.

There is no comfort in this verse for people to say they were saved before believing or without believing. That is the false message of UOJ, getting more strident every year.

But the message of faith in Christ is comforting -

Luther – First Ascension Sermon, Lencker edition:

12. Now, place the two side by side, and you can rightly conclude: Where there is faith, there cannot be so many sins, but they will surely be swallowed up and exterminated by faith; where there is unbelief, you will never be able to do good works enough to blot out the least sin. Little, therefore as sin can stand in the presence of faith, so little can good works abide with unbelief. Therefore, nothing is needed, in order to do good works, but faith; and nothing more is required, in order to do sin and evil works, than unbelief. Thus it follows that he who believes has no sin and does nothing but good works; on the other hand, he who does not believe, verily, does no good work, but all he does is sin.

13. Therefore I say, however, you cannot have committed so many sins, neither is Satan such an invincible enemy of yours, but that all is taken away and forgiven as soon as you begin to believe. For through faith you have Christ as your own treasure, who was given to you for the very purpose of taking away sin; and who will be so bold as to condemn Christ?

Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

This may make many moderns uncomfortable. When the Church was being established, the apostles performed great miracles, just as Jesus did. There were so many frauds in those times that this showed the genuine divine power of the early followers.

Miracles have not gone away, because every Holy Communion service is a miracle, with the Word consecrating the elements. However, we do not manufacture fake miracles, although unbelievers crave them. Jesus performed many profound, visible miracles, but people walked away as soon as He began to teach (John 6). Thus, miracles are not sufficient for unbelievers, since the Word annoys and vexes them, as it does today.

This group of miracles is to show – they can do all things through faith. We see many examples of that today, when people do not take counsel of their experience and reason, but trust completely in God’s wisdom and power.

All things done in faith are God-pleasing, but no venture without faith is anything but a sin. So we should perform all our duties in faith and consider it a blessing to serve God in such a way.

Many clergy have thought they were not “doing anything” when they were being faithful but seeing no visible results. It is not for us to judge the results but to discern the difference between true and false doctrine.

I told a pharmacist I could not do his job because I mix up the medicine names. That caused one child to die, when the wrong pills were pulled from storage. The medicine he needed sound just like the one he was prescribed. It was a terrible tragedy because no one sought to look at the pills. I have taken pills in to be matched on a chart – they are not the same.

Biblical doctrine is similar. Some people say, “There is no real difference,” but there is. If a pastor cannot tell the difference he should study more or find another vocation. Nothing is true because a synod voted on it or because it helps one’s career. It is true only if the Bible teaches it.

Mark 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Moderns explain patiently that we no longer live in a three-storey universe. Oh, how primitive ancient man was. But that shows how foolish the rationalists are, because they force one view onto the Biblical story. Jesus rose and disappeared from their sight. It does not say He went to the stratosphere or ionosphere. Things beyond mortal life are beyond our knowing, so we are told what we need, and we trust in this truth.

When rationalistic man reduces the message to what he can understand and experience, nothing is left. Thus honest atheists have a passionate hatred for the Word, because they feel the condemning effect of the Holy Spirit and counter with hatred, doubt, and blindness.

Luther says in one of the sermons that it is the nature of faith to grow constantly. I take issue with that wording, because faith shrinks when it is not nurtured. He probably saw less of that in his time, when people still believed in divine power.

When people remove themselves from the Means of Grace, they lose the growth in trust that we receive and need in the Gospel.

Luther, First Sermon, Ascension:

30. Again in still another Psalm, David says ( Psalm 68:18): “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led away captives; thou hast received gifts among men, yea among the rebellious also, that Jehovah God might dwell with them.” And all the prophets took great pains to describe Christ’s ascension and his kingdom. For, as his sufferings and death are deeply founded in the Scriptures, so are also his kingdom, his resurrection and ascension. In this manner we must view the ascension of Christ. Otherwise it will afford us neither pleasure nor profit. For what good will it do you if you merely preach that he ascended up to heaven and sits there with folded hands? This is what the prophet would say in the Psalm Christ is ascended on high and has led captivity captive. That is to say, not only does he sit up there but he is also down here. And for this purpose did he ascend up thither, that he might be down here, that he might fill all things and be everywhere present; which thing he could not do had he remained on earth, for here in the body he could not have been present with all. He ascended to heaven, where all hearts can see him, where he can deal with all men, that he might fill all creation. He is present everywhere and all things are filled with his fullness. Nothing is so great, be it in heaven or on earth, but he has power over it, and it must be in perfect obedience to him. He not only governs and fills all creation (that would not help my faith any nor take away my sins), but also has led captivity captive.

Thus faith is the victor, this faith which the Holy Spirit gives us through the Gospel.

Mid-Week Lenten Service - Because We Are Not an Emergent Church

Mid-Week Lenten Vespers


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Time

The Hymn #292 Lord Jesus Christ 1:2
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 2 p. 123
The Lection The Passion History

The Sermon Hymn #295 The Law of God 1:93

The Sermon – The Simple Gospel

The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45

The Hymn #511 Jesus Shall Reign 1:80


KJV John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

A Lutheran pastor sent me his summary of Thy Strong Word, and I am going over his remarks. He wanted to know if he was getting it right.

That is the great result of studying God’s Word together. This used to go on all the time, because Lenski was the New Testament expert for The American Lutheran Church, the LCMS, WELS, and ELS. I am not sure that many in the LCA read Lenski, but the rest did and they were a large segment of all Lutherans in America.

At the same time, many are involved in the defining the Gospel correctly – justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the Law.

There are some basic attributes of the Gospel, which we should always keeps in mind when listening to others.

One – The Word is always clear and plain, never obscure. If someone wants to pretend that this matter is so difficult that only pastors can understand it, he is a total fraud and obviously not even vaguely aware of Biblical, Lutheran doctrine. His argument is really Roman Catholic – claiming only the priesthood can interpret the Bible – and then only in the traditions of man.
Two – The Gospel is always comforting, offering blessing and forgiveness. The Gospel message creates and sustains faith, and faith receives the Gospel of forgiveness.

Three – The Holy Spirit has bound Himself to the Word, so nothing is accomplished by God apart from the Word. Only the Word builds up the Kingdom of God. Programs and fads come and go. God works only through His Word.

Four – Everyone wants to speak of God’s grace. Everyone is all for it. The Catholic Church teaches salvation by grace, but one must ask what this means. A closer examination shows that their grace is no grace at all, but a system of works whereby man tries to please God and satisfy His wrath, but never does. No one is ever really forgiven, so that is no grace at all. God’s grace comes to people only through the Holy Spirit in the Means of Grace. Any other claim is pure Enthusiasm.

John 3:16 and the entire section distinguish between those who believe in Christ and those who do not.

Believing is forgiveness, and forgiveness is salvation. John 16’s sermon by Christ shows us in addition that the primary mission of the Holy Spirit (in the Word) is to convict people of the sin of not believing in Him.

This should be understand as utterly trusting in Christ for salvation, because belief as a word has been watered down so much. If a Buddhist believes in Jesus, then the word needs to be changed or modified for clarity. The problem is not with the language but what we have done to the Queen’s English.

Just hearing a reference to John 3:16 is comforting to many people because they remember the words instantly and they know what they mean.

“Whosoever believes in Me shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Two of our readers have lost someone in the last few weeks. One was sudden. One was drawn out.

The Gospel is the ultimate comfort for loss of life, and this Gospel is taught in every possible way in the hymns, liturgy, and Creeds.

The Gospel is Jesus dying for the sins of the world, rising from the dead, and giving this Gospel to the apostles to teach.

Satan’s message is works. God’s message is grace and forgiveness. Satan offers everything now but enslavement forever. God promises a cross and eternal blessings, even blessings in the cross.

The more we hear the Gospel, the more the New Creation is built up by the Word. When that happens, the New Man generates the fruit of the Spirit, not because we are inherently good, but because the Gospel always has that effect.


Quotations

"How is a person justified before God? This occurs solely by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ; that is, freely, not because of any works or merits of one's own but only because of the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, who became the sacrificial victim and propitiation on our behalf. By this sacrifice, man obtained forgiveness of sins and became righteous; that is, God-pleasing and acceptable. His righteousness was imputed to man for Christ's sake, and man becomes an heir of eternal life when he believes with certainty that God gives him these blessings for the sake of His Son."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 105. Chapt 5.
"Christian righteousness is the forgiveness of sin, the imputation of the righteousness of Christ and acceptance to eternal life. It is free, not the result of any virtues or works but is given solely because of Christ, the Mediator, and apprehended by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 106.
"Scripture therefore uses these words, 'We are justified by faith,' to teach both: 1) What the reason (or merit) for justification is, or what the blessings of Christ are; to wit, that through and for the sake of Christ alone we are granted forgiveness of sins, righteousness and eternal life; and 2. How these should be applied or transferred to us; namely, by embracing the promise and relying on Christ by faith alone."
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), trans., Richard Dinda, Decatur: Repristination Press, 1994. p. 107. Chapter 5.
"It must be admitted that when our Lutheran Confessions speak of justification they speak almost exclusively of that facet of justification we usually call 'subjective' justification, which has also been called 'special' or 'personal' justification. But the Confessions also show us that the basis for this justification is the justification that precedes faith."
Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 13.
"Here again there is great need to call upon God and pray, 'Dear Father, forgive us our debts.' Not that He does not forgive sin even without and before our prayer; and He gave us the Gospel, in which there is nothing but forgiveness, before we prayed or even thought of it. But the point here is for us to recognize and accept this forgiveness." (LC III:88) Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 13.
"The law would seem to be harmful since it has made all men sinners, but when the Lord Jesus came He forgave all men the sin that none could escape." (Apol. IV, 103) Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 13. "If somebody doubts that his sins are forgiven, he insults Christ because he thinks that his sin is greater and stronger than the death and promise of Christ. (Apol IV, 149) Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 13. "What else is the refusal to believe absolution but the accusation that God is a liar? If the heart doubts, it maintains that God's promsises are uncertain and inane. (Apol. XIII, 62) Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 13. "It is God's command and the Gospel itself that they should be sure that their sins are forgiven freely for Christ's sake, not doubting that they are forgiven them personally. If anyone doubts, he makes the divine promise a lie. (Apol. XIII, 88) Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 13.
"Here the panel feels itself compelled to distinguish between form and content. While the form of the Four Statements is inadequate, the doctrine of objective justification it grapples with is Scriptural. The Four Statements have served to show that there is a doctrinal difference between Faith Congregation and the appellants." Report of the WELS Review Committee, Hartman, Pohlman Appeal, June 30, 1980. Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 133.
"If anybody, therefore, is not sure that he is forgiven, he denies that God has sworn to the truth; a more horrible blasphemy than this cannot be imagined." (Apol. XIII, 94) Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 14. "In answer to a question, Walther made it clear that we are not to absolve those we know will refuse to believe the good news absolution proclaims, but only because this would be a misuse of the Gospel, 'and not for some other reason, as if the Word would not be bringing forgiveness if it is spoken over an impenitent.'" Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 14.
"The fact of the redemption and reconciliation of the entire human race through Christ, and with it the forgiveness of all sins for all men on God's part--which, indeed, is precisely what the Gospel proclaims, presents and gives--can by no means become a lie through the unbelief of men...even when the unbelievers don't receive it, but reject it for themselves and for this reason--indeed, for this reason alone--are lost." Walther's colleague, Theodore Brohm, 1808-1881 Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 16.
"The teaching of the Wisconsin Synod is this, that in and with the universal reconciliation, which has occurred in Christ for the whole world--even Judas; the world--even Judas--has been justified and has received the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, according to Luther's clear words ("for where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation"), (even Judas) has become a child of God and an heir of heaven." Quotation from Gottfried Fritschel, "Zur Lehre von der Rechtfertigung," Theologische Monatshefte, vol 4, 1871, (1-24), p. 7. Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 2. Does Curia mean Wisconsin or the Norwegian Synod?
"The chief differences between the contestants [Norwegians and Augustana] seems to have been in the essence rather than in the effect of Absolution. Both agreed that the Gospel offered the forgiveness of sins, but the one side held that it was given only tho those who in faith received it, while the other side said that it was given also to unbelievers, though they did not accept it. Both agreed that unbelievers received no benefit from such an absolution." J. Magnus Rohne, Norwegian Lutheranism up to 1872, New York, Macmillan, p. 231. Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 20.
"So, then, we are reconciled; however, not only we, but also Hindus, and Hottentots and Kafirs, yes, the world. 'Reconciled', says our translation; the Greek original says: 'placed in the right relation to God'. Because before the Fall we, together with the whole creation, were in the right relation to God, therefore Scripture teaches that Christ, through His death, restored all things to the former right relation to God." F. R. Eduard Preuss, 1834-1904, Die Rechtfertigung der Suender vor Gott. Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 24.
"Nowhere in the bible is any man constituted or declared righteous without faith, before faith; all asservations and argumentations to the contrary nothwithstanding." Lenski, Romans, p. 382? Rick Nicholas Curia, The Significant History of the Doctrine of Objective or Universal Justification, Alpine, California: California Pastoral Conference, WELS. January 24-25, 1983. p. 86.
"When a man does not repent, he cannot rightly excuse himself with this that he was incapable of doing so. For it is God's gracious will to remove this hindrance, as well as everything which hinders a man's conversion. The cause is only that the man himself would not. Matthew 21:32; 22:4; Psalm 95:8; Isaiah 55:6-7; Acts 7:51; Isaiah 65:2." [Section II, Thesis 18] U. V. Koren, 1884, "An Accounting," Grace for Grace: Brief History of the Norwegian Synod, ed., Sigurd C. Ylvisaker, Mankato: Lutheran Synod Book Company, 1943, p. Isaiah 55:6-7, 65:2; Matthew 21:32; 22:4; Psalm 95:8; Acts 7:51.
"For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which could not attain ourselves."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #38, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 689.
"But outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is no forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification]. Therefore all who seek and wish to merit holiness [sanctification], not through the Gospel and forgiveness of sin, but by their works, have expelled and severed themselves [from this Church]."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #56, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693.
"The second argument is that 'God desires all men to be saved' (1 Timothy 2:4), and He gave His Son for us men and created man for eternal life. Likewise: All things exist for man, and he himself exists for God that he may enjoy Him, etc. These points and others like them can be refuted as easily as the first one. For these verses must always be understood as pertaining to the elect only, as the apostle says in 2 Timothy 2:10 'everything for the sake of the elect.' For in an absolute sense Christ did not die for all, because He says: 'This is My blood which is poured out for you' and 'for many'--He does not say: for all--'for the forgiveness of sins.' (Mark 14:24; Matthew 26:28) Martin Luther, Luther's Works, 25 p. 375. 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Timothy 2:4; Mark 14:24; Matthew 26:28
"In like manner Moses must precede and teach people to feel their sins in order that grace may be sweet and welcome to them. Therefore all is in vain, however friendly and lovely Christ may be pictured, if man is not first humbled by a knowledge of himself and he possesses no longing for Christ, as Mary's Song says, 'The hungry he hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away,' Luke 1:53."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 149. Matthew 15:21-28; Luke 1:53
"The apostle says 'our,' 'our sins;' not his own sin, not the sins of unbelievers. Purification is not for, and cannot profit, him who does not believe. Nor did Christ effect the cleansing by our free-will, our reason or power, our works, our contrition or repentance, these all being worthless in the sight of God; he effects it by himself. And how? By taking our sins upon himself on the holy cross, as Isaiah 53:6 tells us." Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 180. Hebrews 1:1-12; Hebrews 1:3;
"Christ is speaking here not of the word of the law, but of the Gospel, which is a discourse about Christ, who died for our sins, etc. For God did not wish to impart Christ to the world in any other way; he had to embody him in the Word and thus distributed him, and present him to everybody; otherwise Christ would have existed for himself alone and remained unknown to us; he would have thus died for himself. But since the Word places before us Christ, it thus places us before Him who has triumphed over death, sin, and Satan. Therefore, he who grasps and retains Christ, has thus also eternal deliverance from death. Consequently it is a Word of life, and it is true, that whoever keeps the Word shall never see death." Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 177. John 8:46-59.
"To this incline your ears, and be persuaded that God speaks through men and forgives you your sins; this, of course, requires faith." Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 200. "If I do not believe it, I will not receive its benefits; but that neither renders it false nor proves that anything is lacking in Christ." Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 258. Mark 16:1-8.
"It is a faithful saying that Christ has accomplished everything, has removed sin and overcome every enemy, so that through Him we are lords over all things. But the treasure lies yet in one pile; it is not yet distributed nor invested. Consequently, if we are to possess it, the Holy Spirit must come and teach our hearts to believe and say: I, too, am one of those who are to have this treasure. When we feel that God has thus helped us and given the treasure to us, everything goes well, and it cannot be otherwise than that man's heart rejoices in God and lifts itself up, saying: Dear Father, if it is Thy will to show toward me such great love and faithfulness, which I cannot fully fathom, then will I also love Thee with all my heart and be joyful, and cheerfully do what pleases Thee. Thus, the heart does not now look at God with evil eyes, does not imagine He will cast us into hell, as it did before the HS came...." Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 279. John 14:23-31.
"All who are born into the world of man and woman are sinful under God's anger and curse, condemned to death. For all are conceived and born in sin as Scripture testifies (Psalm 51:5): 'Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.'" Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, The House Postils, 3 vols., ed., Eugene Klug, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996, II, p. 26. Luke 24:13-35; Psalm 51:5
"The 'rod of His mouth' signifies the spoken Word or the Gospel, which proceeds from the mouth of all whose teaching is pure. It is not inefficacious; it bears fruit; it justifies the godly and destroys the ungodly." [Footnote F. Pieper, Dogmatics, Word of God has twofold effect. It illumines and blinds. I, p. 125.] Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1469. Isaiah 11:4
"Christ did indeed suffer for the whole world; but how many are there who believe and cherish this fact? Therefore, although the work of redemption itself has been accomplished, it still cannot help and benefit a man unless he believes it and experiences its saving power in his heart." Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 705f.
"Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?" J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 103f. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
"Before Christ's intervention took place God regarded him as a guilt-laden, condemned culprit. After Christ's intervention and through Christ's intervention He regards him as a guilt-free saint." J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 107. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
"This applies to the whole world, to every individual sinner, whether he was living in the days of Christ, or had died centuries before His coming, or had not yet been born, perhaps has not been born to this day. It applies to the world as such, regardless of whether a particular sinner ever comes to faith or not." J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 109. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
"The administration of the katallage is carried out by means of the Word. The Word is made the vehicle for conveying and applying the katallage to the world. There is no other way of administering it...It is the Word which God established through which the katallage is brought to us and through which we bring it to the world." J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 110f. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
[Translation of Gottfried Fritschel article on Justification] ed., Thedore Tappert, Lutheran Confessional Theology in America, 1840-1880, New York: Oxford University Press, 1972,
"This faith, encouraging and consoling in these fears, receives remission of sins, justifies and quickens. For this consolation is a new and spiritual life [a new birth and a new life]. These things are plain and clear, and can be understood by the pious, and have testimonies of the Church [as is to be seen in the conversion of Paul and Augustine]. The adversaries nowhere can say how the Holy Ghost is given. They imagine that the Sacraments confer the Holy Ghost ex opere operato, without a good emotion in the recipient, as though, indeed, the gift of the Holy Ghost were an idle matter."
Article IV., Justification, Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 139.
"Now, that faith signifies, not only a knowledge of the history, but such faith as assents to the promise, Paul plainly testifies when says, Romans 4:16: 'Therefore it is of faith, to the end the promise might be sure.' For he judges that the promise cannot be received unless by faith. Wherefore he puts them together as things that belong to one another, and connects promise and faith."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 135. Romans 4:16.
"But Christ was given for this purpose, namely, that for His sake there might be bestowed on us the remission of sins, and the Holy Ghost to bring forth in us new and eternal life, and eternal righteousness [to manifest Christ in our hearts, as it is written John 16:15: He shall take of the things of Mine, and show them unto you. Likewise, He works also other gifts, love, thanksgiving, charity, patience, etc.]. Wherefore the Law cannot be truly kept unless the Holy Ghost is received through faith...Then we learn to know how flesh, in security and indifference, does not fear God, and is not fully certain that we are regarded by God, but imagines that men are born and die by chance. Then we experience that we do not believe that God forgives and hears us. But when, on hearing the Gospel and the remission of sins, we are consoled by faith, we receive the Holy Ghost, so that now we are able to think aright."
Augsburg Confession, Article III, #11, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 159.
"But as the Confutation condemns us for having assigned these two parts to repentance, we must show that [not we, but] Scripture expresses these as the chief parts in repentance and conversion. For Christ says, Matthew 11:28: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Here there are two members. The labor and the burden signify the contrition, anxiety, and terrors of sin and of death. To come to Christ is to believe that sins are remitted for Christ's sake; when we believe, our hearts are quickened by the Holy Ghost through the Word of Christ. Here, therefore, there are these two chief parts, contrition and faith." Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XII (V), #44, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 263. Matthew 11:28.
"Against both these parties the pure teachers of the Augsburg Confession have taught and contended that by the fall of our first parents man was so corrupted that in divine things pertaining to our conversion and the salvation of our souls he is by nature blind, that, when the Word of God is preached, he neither does nor can understand it, but regards it as foolishness; also, that he does not of himself draw nigh to God, but is and remains an enemy of God, until he is converted, becomes a believer [is endowed with faith], is regenerated and renewed, by the power of the Holy Ghost through the Word when preached and heard, out of pure grace, without any cooperation of his own." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, II. 5. Free Will Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 881.
"The third controversy which has arisen among some theologians of the Augsburg Confession is concerning the righteousness of Christ or of faith, which God imputes by grace, through faith, to poor sinners for righteousness." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. 1 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 917. "...it has been unanimously taught by the other teachers of the Augsburg Confession that Christ is our righteousness not according to His divine nature alone, nor according to His human nature alone, but according to both natures; for He has redeemed, justified, and saved us from our sins as God and man, through His complete obedience; that therefore the righteousness of faith is the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and our adoption as God's children only on account of the obedience of Christ, which through faith alone, out of pure grace, is imputed for righteousness to all true believers, and on account of it they are absolved from all their unrighteousness." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. 4 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 917.
"If this only article remains pure on the battlefield, the Christian Church also remains pure, and in goodly harmony and without any sects; but if it does not remain pure, it is not possible that any error or fanatical spirit can be resisted." Dr. Luther Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. 4 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 917. "These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the Father, and are eternally saved." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 10 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 919.
"Therefore it is considered and understood to be the same thing when Paul says that we are justified by faith, Romans 3:28, or that faith is counted to us for righteousness, Romans 4:5, and when he says that we are made righteous by the obedience of One, Romans 5:19, or that by the righteousness of One justification of faith comes to all men, Romans 5:18. For faith justifies, not for this cause and reason that it is so good a work and so fair a virtue, but because it lays hold of and accepts the merit of Christ in the promise of the holy Gospel; for this must be applied and appropriated to us by faith, if we are to be justified thereby." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 12 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 919. Romans 4:5; Romans 3:28; Romans 5:19
"Accordingly, the word justify here means to declare righteous and free from sins, and to absolve one from eternal punishment for the sake of Christ's righteousness, which is imputed by God to faith, Philippians 3:9. For this use and understanding of this word is common in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament. Proverbs 17:15: He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord. Isaiah 5:23: Woe unto them which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Romans 8:33: Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, that is, absolves from sins and acquits." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 17 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 921 Philippians 3:9; Proverbs 17:15; Isaiah 5:23; Romans 8:33
"This righteousness is offered us by the Holy Ghost through the Gospel and in the Sacraments, and is applied, appropriated, and received through faith, whence believers have reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, sonship, and heirship of eternal life." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 16 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 921. "For when man is justified through faith [which the Holy Ghost alone works], this is truly a regeneration, because from a child of wrath he becomes a child of God, and thus is transferred from death to life, as it is written; When we were dead in sins, He hath quickened us together with Christ, Ephesians 2:5. Likewise: The just shall live by faith, Romans 1:17; Habakkuk 2:4." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 20 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 921.
"Moreover, neither contrition nor love or any other virtue, but faith alone is the sole means and instrument by which and through which we can receive and accept the grace of God, the merit of Christ, and the forgiveness of sins, which are offered to us in the promise of the Gospel." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 31 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 925. "Here belongs also what St. Paul writes Romans 4:3, that Abraham was justified before God by faith alone, for the sake of the Mediator, without the cooperation of his works, not only when he was first converted from idolatry and had no good works, but also afterwards, when he had been renewed by the Holy Ghost, and adorned with many excellent good works, Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11:8. And Paul puts the following questions, Romans 4:1ff.: On what did Abraham's righteousness before God for everlasting life, by which he had a gracious God, and was pleasing and acceptable to Him, rest at that time? Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 33 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 927. Romans 4:3; Romans 4:1ff; Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11:8
"For good works do not precede faith, neither does sanctification precede justification. But first faith is kindled in us in conversion by the Holy Ghost from the hearing of the Gospel.This lays hold of God's grace in Christ, by which the person is justified. Then, when the person is justified, he is also renewed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, from which renewal and sanctification the fruits of good works then follow." Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III 41 Righteousness Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 929,
"If remission of sins without repentance is preached, the people imagine that they have already forgiveness of sins, and thereby they are made secure and unconcerned. This is a greater error and sin than all error of former times, and it is verily to be feared that we are in that danger which Christ points out when He says, Matthew 12:45: 'The last state of that man shall be worse than the first.'" C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 123. Matthew 12:45.
"Christ's Glorious Resurrection from the Dead the Actual Absolution of the Entire Sinful World Here I would point out two things: 1. That This Is Certain And True, and 2. That Therefore Every Man Who Wants To Be Saved Must By Faith Accept This General Absolution As Applying Also To Him," C. F. W. Walther, The Word of His Grace, Sermon Selections, "Christ's Resurrection--The World's Absolution" Lake Mills: Graphic Publishing Company, 1978 J-5 p. 230. Mark 16:1-8 "For God has already forgiven you your sins 1800 years ago when He in Christ absolved all men by raising Him after He first had gone into bitter death for them. Only one thing remains on your part so that you also possess the gift. This one thing is--faith. And this brings me to the second part of today's Easter message, in which I now would show you that every man who wants to be saved must accept by faith the general absolution, pronounced 1800 years ago, as an absolution spoken individually to him." C. F. W. Walther, The Word of His Grace, Sermon Selections, "Christ's Resurrection--The World's Absolution" Lake Mills: Graphic Publishing Company, 1978 J-5 p. 233. Mark 16:1-8
"Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of saint." (J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, p. 103) WELS, Kokomo Four Statements, 1979. 001
"After Christ's intervention and through Christ's intervention God regards all sinners as guilt-free saints." (J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, p. 107) WELS, Kokomo Four Statements, 1979. 002
"When God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, He individually pronounced forgiveness to each individual sinner whether that sinner ever comes to faith or not." (J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, p. 109) WELS, Kokomo Four Statements, 1979. 003 "At the time of the resurrection of Christ, God looked down in hell and declared; Judas, the people destroyed in the flood, and all the ungodly, innocent, not guilty, and forgiven of all sin and gave unto them the status of saints." (Pastor Charles Papenfuss) WELS, Kokomo Four Statements, 1979. 004

Lutherans Write about the Sermon - Worship - III - Thy Strong Word

Luther was the swan that rose from the ashes of Hus, as the Czech reformer predicted.
Lutherans follow Schwan instead.
Art by Norma Boeckler.

Part 3

Lutherans Write about the Sermon

J-1018

"Now, all who wish to be saved ought to hear this preaching [of God’s Word]. For the preaching and hearing of God’s Word are instruments of the Holy Ghost, by, with, and through which He desires to work efficaciously, and to convert men to God, and to work in them both to will and to do. This Word man can externally hear and read, even though he is not yet converted to God and regenerate; for in these external things, as said above, man even since the Fall has to a certain extent a free will, so that he can go to church and hear or not hear the sermon."

Formula of Concord, SD, II, #52. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 901f. Tappert, p. 531. Heiser, p. 246.

J-1019

"Likewise those fastidious spirits are to be reproved who, when they have heard a sermon or two, find it tedious and dull, thinking that they know all that well enough, and need no more instruction. For just that is the sin which has been hitherto reckoned among mortal sins, and is called akedia, i. e., torpor or satiety, a malignant, dangerous plague with which the devil bewitches and deceives the hearts of many, that he may surprise us and secretly withdraw God’s Word from us."

The Large Catechism, #99, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378. Heiser, p. 175. Exodus 20:8-11. Akedia: Aristotle's Ethics, IV.

J-1020

"Against both these parties the pure teachers of the Augsburg Confession have taught and contended that by the fall of our first parents man was so corrupted that in divine things pertaining to our conversion and the salvation of our souls he is by nature blind, that, when the Word of God is preached, he neither does nor can understand it, but regards it as foolishness; also, that he does not of himself draw nigh to God, but is and remains an enemy of God, until he is converted, becomes a believer [is endowed with faith], is regenerated and renewed, by the power of the Holy Ghost through the Word when preached and heard, out of pure grace, without any cooperation of his own."

Formula of Concord, SD II. #5. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 881. Tappert, p. 520f. Heiser, p. 241.

J-1021

"All this is the old devil and old serpent, who also converted Adam and Eve into enthusiasts, and led them from the outward Word of God to spiritualizing and self-conceit, and nevertheless he accomplished this through other outward words. Just as also our enthusiasts [at the present day] condemn the outward Word, and nevertheless they themselves are not silent, but they fill the world with their pratings and writings, as though, indeed, the Spirit could not come through the writings and spoken word of the apostles, but [first] through their writings and words he must come. Why [then] do not they also omit their own sermons and writings, until the Spirit Himself come to men, without their writings and before them, as they boast that He has come into them without the preaching of the Scriptures?"

Smalcald Articles, Part III, VIII. #5-6. Confession. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 495. Tappert, p. 312f. Heiser, p. 147.

J-1022

"Moreover [On the other side], both the ancient and modern enthusiasts have taught that God converts men, and leads them to the saving knowledge of Christ through His Spirit, without any created means and instrument, that is, without the external preaching and hearing of God’s Word."

Formula of Concord, SD II. #4. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 881. Tappert, p. 520. Heiser, p. 241.

J-1023

Gerhard: "The more purely the Word of God is preached in a Church, and the nearer the preaching and doctrine comes to the norm of the Holy Scripture, the purer will be the Church; the further it recedes from the rule of the Word, the more impure and corrupt will be the Church."

Cited in Henry Eyster Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia: General Council Publication House, 1913, p. 383f.

J-1024

"Since the Word of God is this weapon [sword], it behooves us to make use of it at all times and to this end become acquainted with it both by means of public preaching and by earnest Bible study at home. Cursory reading must be supplemented by careful memorizing of proof-texts and strong passages. Only in this way shall we be able to make the proper use of the Word of God as a true weapon of offense at all times."

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the New Testament, 2 vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, II, p. 292. Ephesians 6:17.

J-1025

"So much, we see, depends on the kind of men who preach the Gospel. Let all preachers keep this in mind! In the last analysis, however, the decisive assurance for all believers is the Word itself with its divine effects. See Galatians 1:8. In Thessalonians, too, the ultimate ground of assurance is the Word."

R. C. H. Lenski, Thessalonians, Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1937, p. 259. 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians 1:8.

J-1026

"So it goes in the spiritual government of the Church, as specially indicated in the narrative now before us. Where I have preached and taught during the past ten or twenty years, there another could perhaps, have done more in one year; and one sermon may bring forth more fruit than many others. Here, also, it is true that our labor, diligence and effort can accomplish nothing These two things must go together, namely, that each one does his duty, and that he, nevertheless, acknowledges with Peter: 'My labor cannot bring forth anything, if thou dost not give the increase.'"

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 153. Luke 5:1-11.

J-1027

"God has chosen despised and frail human beings for the ministry of the Word that the divine power of the Word might become apparent—a power impossible to suppress even in the weakest of persons. Moreover, if the mighty of the world were to preach the Gospel, people would be captivated more by the authority of the person preaching than by the Word itself."

What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1118.

J-1028

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables... "That is, we preach not the nonsense of men, but we are sure that what we preach is of God and has become so through our eyes and ears. That is to say, When we were with Christ upon the mountain, we saw and heard his glory."

Martin Luther, Commentary on Peter and Jude, ed. John N. Lenker, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1990, p. 245. 2 Peter 1:16-18.

J-1029

"That is the reason why our Church from the very beginning declared that it requires its preachers 'not to depart an inch' from its confessions, not to turn aside from the doctrines laid down in them, non tantum in rebus, sed etiam in phrasibus, that is, both as regards the matter offered in their sermons and the manner of their teaching."

C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 277.

The Pastor’s Role

J-1030

"The Gospel ministry should spare no one, no matter how high the position may be which he occupies, but should rebuke wrong in everybody. This is why ministers and preachers exist. A very heavy burden is placed on them. They should so conduct their office that they stand ready to answer for it on Judgment Day. If they do not speak to you and rebuke in you what their office requires them to speak and to rebuke, God will require your blood from their hand. Tell me, why should we preachers burden ourselves still more by preaching to you as you desire? It is not our word. Nor do we live for your sake, as though you had ordered us, and we had to preach what you like. Preachers can, will, and should not do this. Therefore he who will not listen is free in God's name to walk out through the church door and let our Lord God keep His ministry unhindered."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1114.

Lack of trust in the efficacy of the Word has led to a scornful attitude toward Lutheran pastors. Synodical leaders have no love for the Word of God, so they also despise the divinely called pastors under their oppressive and corrupt regimes. Synodical leaders effectively convey their contempt toward the Word and the clergy in dealing with congregations. Even if the congregation shares this contempt for the Word and deals with the pastor in the most evil and underhanded way possible, the minister is still obligated by his call to teach the Word in its truth and purity, regardless of the consequences. If the congregational leaders engage in adultery and have to be taken to court to pay support for the children of their previous marriages, they will not likely endure the pure Word of God. If the treasurer is a man who lives with and assaults his girlfriend and then damages the police car when he is arrested, he is only going to like corrupt pastors who flatter him. If the minister cuts a deal with the synod or the congregation to preserve his comfort through doctrinal compromise, he is no longer a shepherd, but a wolf with a shepherd’s crook, all the more dangerous for his disguise. Wolves love to run in packs, so the other wolves welcome him, especially if he has the sniveling, groveling attitude they crave.

Strangely, pastors have abandoned those who love the Gospel in favor of those who hate the Word and only see it in terms of benefiting themselves. The pan-Lutheran effort to promote unionism has created several generations of those who are completely indifferent to sound doctrine. Nevertheless, some remain who have not bowed the knee to Baal. The Word and Sacraments gather the congregation, so if the Gospel cannot be tolerated by one group of people, then there will be another who will listen and appreciate.

Now we are at the lowest point in Lutheran history, worse than the days before the Book of Concord was published. Pastors and congregations have the opportunity of re-discovering orthodox Lutheran doctrine. Many old Lutheran books are still circulating through book sales, so it is possible to gather a fine library in spite of what the synods are failing to do. When people read the Lutheran classics for the first time and discover names they have never known before, such as Loy, Jacobs, and Krauth, they are amazed that men could live in another century and deal with the same problems we are facing today. Even more exotic are the famous but obscure theologians of Europe. When I became a Lutheran, I could find their books in the college library in Latin, but nowhere else. Now I can at least own a selection of Gerhard, Chemnitz, Chytraeus, and Quenstedt, who are no longer just names in a Lutheran encyclopedia but clear, Gospel teachers, honored in the past for their great learning but scorned in the present for not marketing the Gospel with gimmicks and graphs.

Pastors, whether they are in a synod or independent, have the greatest flexibility in their use of time. They can control how to spend their time more easily than most professionals, or they can make themselves into victims of busy-work. Sometimes they are just lazy. A pastor’s time should be consumed with preparation for the sermon, adult classes, catechism, and visitation. He can and should ignore almost everything else. He is not the social director of the Love Boat. At meetings he should invoke the famous Kiwanis rule, “If you are in favor of this activity, you must also support it by helping out. Otherwise, do not talk in favor of something you have no intention of supporting or attending.” Pastors do not need to dither about social events, taking care of the property, or where to take the youth group on the next outing. Congregations have cleverly pushed their responsibilities onto the pastor by abandoning their own duties, then insisting that these non-essential jobs be done by him or his wife. One congregation railed at the previous pastor for taking too long on the production of the newsletter, then copied and assembled it themselves for two or three months. Suddenly they concluded that the newsletter was not needed at all. “No one reads it,” claimed the woman who had grown weary of Xeroxing, stapling, and addressing.

J-1031

"Your first desire will be that all men may obtain the same knowledge of divine grace. Hence your love will not be restrained from serving all to the fullest extent, preaching and proclaiming the divine truth wherever possible, and rejecting all doctrine and life not in harmony with this teaching. But take note, the devil and the world, unwilling that their devices be rejected, cannot endure the knowledge of what you do. They will oppose you with everything great, learned, wealthy and powerful, and represent you as a heretic and insane."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 147.

I am quite sure that Luther did not have a Sunday School program, a baseball team, a flower chart, worship bulletins, or a coffee hour. If a congregation cannot get these going with their own labor, they should abandon them and not tell the pastor, “We refuse to do this on our own. It is now up to you to motivate us.” I was always impressed that members thought it was a good idea for me to deliver flowers to the shut-ins, whom I saw all the time. My idea was that shut-ins would love to see their own members every so often. Many times I organized an effort where all the members visited one another, and this was very beneficial for the entire congregation. It also frustrated those who loved being unhappy.

The lack of pastoral visitation today speaks eloquently about the lack of trust in the Word. If ministers believe in the power of the Word, they naturally take this power to people’s homes, to nursing homes, and to hospitals. They do not make appointments for people to see them in their offices. Hospital stays and family emergencies are so important that the minister should clear his schedule to be with his members when needed. In my opinion, one of the best uses of time is to sit with a family during an operation, to visit daily in the hospital, to spend extra time with a family during and after a funeral. Visiting with families in times of difficulty and in normal times will establish trust and build an interest in God’s Word.

Many skeptics will say, “This preaching, teaching, and visiting will consume all of a pastor’s time. There will be no more time left.” That is true. We all have 168 hours per week given to us by the Creator. It is best spent on important matters. Lutherans need to abandon the Methodist model of having special interest groups (World War II discussion groups, stamp collectors), special Sundays to bring out the crowds (girl scout, boy scout, Masonic Lodge recognition day, Civil Air Patrol, favorite cookie day), and ecclesiastical intramurals.⁵¹⁸ Some people think that the ideal church has a gym, although few if any secular gyms have chapels. Of course people are free to organize sports through the congregation, but they should see all social activities as fruits of the Gospel and not as Gospel. One evangelism expert ran all around the Michigan Synod, LCA, telling pastors how to organize baseball teams in their congregations. That’s how he built up his congregation, with baseball teams. He was no longer serving a congregation or married to his wife, but he wanted to make a baseball game into the Means of Grace. Even the most jaded ministers were shocked by his devotion to gimmicks.

J-1032

"Infinite and unutterable is the majesty of the Word of God, and we can never thank God enough for it. Human reason, however, thinks: Ah, if I could hear the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, I would run to the end of the world! Listen, brother, God, the Creator of heaven and earth, does speak with you through His preachers; it is He who baptizes, instructs, and absolves you through the ministry of His Sacraments. These words of God are not words of Plato or Aristotle, but God Himself is speaking. And those preachers are the most suitable who very simply and plainly, without any airs and subtlety, teach the common people and youth, just as Christ taught the people with homespun parables. And those are the best and most suitable hearers who listen to the Word and do not doubt its teaching. They may be weak in faith; but as long as they do not doubt the doctrine, it is possible to help them."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959 III, p. 1118.