Sunday, July 14, 2019

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity, 2019

By Norma A. Boeckler

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity, 2019

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson



The melodies are linked in the hymn name. 
The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.
  • The melody site is linked here.
  • TLH Lyrics site is linked here.


The Hymn # 452                      The Son of God  
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual 
The Gospel 
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #25  I Will Sing My Maker's Praises

Sermon - Comfort for Believers

The Communion Hymn # 308       Invited Lord  
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 413                     I Walk in Danger

In Our Prayers

  • Andrea will have retina surgery and is seeing an expert at Stanford.
  • Elizabeth Mior - has cancer. She is the mother of two small children.
  • Christina Jackson will see the specialist on July 19th.
  • Those looking for work.
  • Glen Kotten is doing well and appreciates your prayers.
  • Carl Roper will have another growth treated.

KJV Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

KJV Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

Fourth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, who art merciful, and through Christ didst promise us, that Thou wilt neither judge nor condemn us, but graciously forgive us all our sins, and abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul: We pray Thee, that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt establish in our hearts a confident faith in Thy mercy, and teach us also to be merciful to our neighbor, that we may not judge or condemn others, but willingly forgive all men, and, Judging only ourselves, lead blessed lives in Thy fear, through Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.



 By Norma A. Boeckler


Introduction to the Sermon - Calvin's Double Predestination Is Objective Justification

Unless one has been raised in strict Calvinism, his concept of double predestination is almost impossible to grasp. Fortunately, the very act of reading and hearing the Scriptures is a remedy against this strange and anti-Biblical dogma.

I do not spend much time talking about other denominations and the strange sects that seem to multiply overnight. However, the issue of Calvinism adhering to Biblical, Lutheran doctrine is significant and deadly. The issue reminds me of the student who borrowed mercury from the chemistry lab in Phoenix and turned every place he was (bus, classroom, etc) into an official toxic waste site.

Calvinism entered the Lutheran Church because of persecution in France. Some (like my family) came to America. Others went to the German territories, where they agitated against the Lutheran Church and gradually forced a Lutheran-Reformed unity which favored their side. That also happened in America.

If God has determined, before Creation or after the Fall, everyone who is saved and everyone who is damned, then nothing within the ministry of the Christian Church means anything. As Edward Preuss, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, wrote - "Everyone is born forgiven," a slight modification of double predestination. In other words, the Sacraments do nothing - they are just laws. Preaching and worship are for those already part of the covenant - not effective, but expected. But even then, Calvin intoned that sermons are worthless if the Holy Spirit does not decide to visit.

Objective Justification (universal forgiveness without faith) is an outgrowth of Calvinism - rationalistic and alienated from Biblical revelation. But they have argued for this so long that the "Lutheran" synods are united in favor of it and united in denouncing Justification by Faith.

All forms of false doctrine are separations of the Holy Spirit from the Word.







Sermon - Comfort for Believers

KJV Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

Two kinds of suffering come upon us. One is from the forces of nature and the sinfulness of man. The other is from bearing the cross. 

One kind of suffering today has happened many times in the past, displacement of jobs from economic changes. The worst part of that - besides the obvious - is feeling unwanted and unappreciated. When prosperity arrives, it seems as if it will last forever. When that is yanked away for whatever reason, hardships seem to be eternal too.

For example, the head of Caterpillar decided to move his headquarters to Chicago - from Peoria. That meant a substantial loss of local jobs and income, which was not the fault of any worker.

Also, disease and various maladies can strike us at any time. Doctors wonder at how rare it is, and patients wish it were even rarer.

Bearing the cross comes from the reaction of those who hate the Gospel, even if they declare they love the grace of God, etc. Most people have something negative to say and find some way to express it, and the worst are usually within the visible church.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 

It is not too bold to mention that this term creature is not a blunder by Paul or the Holy Spirit. First of all, we have life because God created life and gave it to us, a very precious gift. Secondly, we are believers because the Gospel created faith in our hearts, whether at baptism or later in life from hearing the Gospel. Either way, the Gospel came to us - we did go to it.

Those who struggled against the Gospel - Paul, Augustine, Luther, were the also the most anxious to teach people how the Savior came to them in the Word, in spite of their resistance and intellect.

In both respects we are creations and reflect the glory of God in his intricately designed (by the Logos) universe, with an infinity of relationships. Today on the altar I have Joe Pye Weed - which has a heavy medicinal smell in the lower part and  heavenly aroma in the flowers. Joe Pye is so attractive to butterflies and beneficial insects that it must be ordered early or the supply is gone.

Daisies are taken for granted because they are easy to grow and bloom so readily, expanding their clumps steadily. They always have beneficial flies on them, a fly that seeks out aphids and destroys them.

Butterfly Weed is related to Milkweed, another plant that must be ordered early - and even then is hard to get.

Crepe Myrtle is famous in the South for tolerating dry weather and blooming in giant bundles of colorful flowers, seemingly forever. Cardinals and Robins love it for nesting because the flowers turn into bunches of delicious seed, picked for supper, turning into more flowers and more seeds. Spiders and insects rest there and provide more food. The deep roots enrich the soil.

From the lowliest (yet powerful) microbe to the pinnacle of God's Creation (use), the handiwork and management of the universe is staggering. But 

but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope, 

Luther:
15. Now the first point of consolation is that we turn our backs upon all suffering, saying: “What is all my pain, though it were tenfold greater, compared to the eternal life unto which I am baptized, to which I am called? My sufferings are not worthy to be so termed in connection with the exceeding glory to be revealed in me.” Paul magnifies the future glory to make the temporal sufferings the more insignificant. Then follows: “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the revealing [manifestation] of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope: [For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope;]”

16. Here is the second point of consolation. Paul holds up as an example to us the condition of the whole creation. He exhorts us to endure patiently, as the creature does, all the violence and injustice we suffer from the devil and the world, and to comfort ourselves with the hope of future redemption. Remarkable doctrine this, unlike anything elsewhere found in the Scriptures, that heaven and earth, sun, moon and stars, leaf and blade, every living thing, waits with sighing and groaning for the revelation of our glory.


In the ministry of the Savior, glory and suffering were mixed together, with suffering seeming to triumph at the end. But it was just the opposite compared to what the world saw. The glory was separated with the resurrection and Ascension of Christ Jesus, and the testimony of His 500 followers taught the Roman Empire that the pagans had lost.

That did not happen overnight, but the Gospel was planted across the entire Empire. In only three centuries, the new capital of Rome was Constantinople, and it was decidedly Christian, bent on preserving  the Greek and the Christian heritage. From there it spread, as I said last week or so.

Everything points to future redemption, future peace.

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Yes, this is our culture, our world, being compared to a woman in childbirth. This must end at some point, but we groan and suffer from many torments until then. 

Life on earth is full of the groans of those labor pains, which are not mild, not quiet. When the evil of child trafficking is fully addressed, we could have carefully arranged mini-riots protesting - but not naming the sponsors of the riots.

The liberty we have is not being weighed down by sins, but receiving in faith the Gospel of full, complete, and free forgiveness, daily through the work of the Spirit in the Word.

Earthquakes are like creaking and groaning of Creation, unleashing powerful forces that remind us of God's unlimited power.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

23 ου μονον δε αλλα και αυτοι την απαρχην του πνευματος εχοντες και ημεις αυτοι εν εαυτοις στεναζομεν υιοθεσιαν απεκδεχομενοι την απολυτρωσιν του σωματος ημων

Underlined - release from our bodies

Luther:
25. Beloved, Paul thus traces the holy cross among all creatures; heaven and earth and all they contain suffer with us. So we must not complain and excessively grieve when we fare ill. We must patiently wait for the redemption of our bodies and for the glory which is to be revealed in us; especially when we know that all creatures groan in anguish, like a woman in travail, longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For then shall begin their redemption, when they shall not be slaves to wickedness but shall willingly and with delight serve God’s children only. In the meantime they bear the cross for the sake of God, who has subjected them in hope. Thus we are assured that captivity will not endure forever, but a time must come when the creatures will be delivered. “Do ye likewise, beloved Christians,” Paul would advise, “and reflect that as the creature will rejoice with you on the last day, so does it now mourn with you; that not you alone must suffer, but the whole creation suffers with you and awaits your redemption, a redemption so great and glorious As to make your sufferings unworthy to be considered.”

This means all the frailties and suffering which are attached to our bodies and minds - they will be released in eternity - only glory will remain.

As Jesus said in His "a little while" sermon to the disciples. This will be just a little while.

We can look back to a tumultuous time in our lives, from whatever cause (medical, economic, emotional) and say, "All I felt was suffering, and it was bad, but good things were happening and developing at the same time. Now the suffering is gone the fruits of Christian faith are around me."


 By Norma A. Boeckler