The Third Sunday after Trinity, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Steadfast in the Faith
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 #377:6-10 Salvation unto Us
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.
KJV 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Third Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we all like sheep have gone astray, having suffered ourselves to be led away from the right path by Satan and our own sinful flesh: We beseech Thee graciously to forgive us all our sins for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ; and quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may abide in Thy word, and in true repentance and a steadfast faith continue in Thy Church unto the end, and obtain eternal salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end Amen.
Background for the Sermon - The Cross
This passage from 1 Peter 5 cannot be understood apart from bearing the cross, which is any hardship that comes from believing the Word of God. There are many afflictions that come along in the life of most people, but the cross means those difficulties which are the result of being a Christian.
One seminary student gave as an example of the cross - "doing homework." That is an affliction for some but not the cross.
The Christians of the Apostolic era were a definite minority, not protected by the Roman Empire. Rome honored every god but the One True God and considered Christians a branch of Judaism, those people who had to be crushed for trying to become independent in the Zealot war, about 40 years after the resurrection of Christ.
Our friend was dating an Eastern Orthodox Christian who said, "I cannot see you anymore, because you are indifferent about the unborn." That shocked him so much, as an M.D., that he reconsidered his attitude and became pro-life. When his academic boss expected him to contribute to a fund that was anti-life, our friend refused and said why. That caused all kinds of difficulties and he ended up leaving a prestigious job, but got another one because of his ability.
I mentioned the Apostolic era because we have returned to the status of the Roman Empire, a pagan culture where Christians are routinely persecuted just for standing up for their beliefs. That is not only true in denominations and synods, but also in public life. The easiest course is to pretend the articles of the Faith do not exist and anyone can choose whatever is appealing at the moment. That works for district presidents, district supervisors, bishops, and cardinals, but that is not what the Apostles learned from the Savior.
Refusing the cross is the same as disbelieving the Word of God, because Jesus Himself blessed the cross when He said, Matthew 5 KJV
"11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
Faith in Christ means welcoming the cross as the best and most true sign of adhering to His Word. In time, that can be seen as a blessing, though it never feels like a blessing at the time. If it were, Jesus would not call it the cross when He said, "If you are not willing to take up the cross daily, you are not worthy to follow Me."
Steadfast in the Faith
KJV 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Luther is anxious to teach about the destructive effect of pride in the history of mankind, and the need for humility.
3. If mankind could be led so to believe this that the virtue of humility would be generally practiced, it would be well everywhere. This would be a beautiful world, filled with discipline and good works. I would much prefer to see a city in which the young are reared in this virtue than a hundred monasteries of barefooted and Carthusian friars, though they lived ever so strictly. Alas! the greatest and most frequent complaint heard anywhere is concerning the disobedience, wantonness and pride of the younger generation found among all ranks. Therefore it is necessary to use all diligence that this exhortation be instilled into the hearts of the young and urged upon them, in the hope that it may benefit them.
4. First of all, Peter presents the divine command. We are not left to our own good pleasure in the matter—to show humility or not, as we please.
God earnestly asks it of us, and asks that we do it lovingly and willingly.
This is such a clear teaching. Practicing humility, because we are all sinners, creates peace and a desire to work together. Throughout history we can find that people have brought destruction upon themselves and others by their arrogance.
It is true that by assuming great authority, others back away and let the ambitious plunge ahead. We are very much like Europe in assuming that families are owed positions of power, no matter how limited their abilities are.
For example, Medieval popes assumed they not only controlled all Christians, and could invent new rules, but also declared they owned all of Europe as well. They claimed Emperor Constantine donated the entire Roman Empire to the Church - East and West! Therefore, the Pope could do whatever he wanted to lowly kings and invade with his army when that was necessary.
On a much smaller scale, people have learned that being bulldozers can be rewarding. A General Motors veteran said, "They praise the A personality who bulls through any opposition, and that is what has gotten us to this place." That was before declaring bankruptcy.
The great, arrogant mega-church pastors are examples of no humility. There are too many to name, but it is amusing to consider The Church Without Walls, which became insolvent with $20 million in mortgages on their many walls.
We are simply nothing compared to the might and power of God, His ability to work miracles or crush the proud in a moment. The more we consider His ways, the less we admire ourselves in the mirror of man's assumptions.
Humble yourselves
The word used is the one where Jesus described Himself as lowly.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. KJV
The descriptions for Christians are the attributes of Christ, so we can see Him both as the Teacher and the Example.
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Worries and anxieties are common. I think we have so much experience of things going wrong that we often anticipate more of the same. Human variations expand upon that, because there are so many disappointments.
Sometimes the troubles are monumental and overwhelming, like the disciples in the storm. In one example, Jesus was asleep in the ship, and they said, "Don't you care if we all die?" They trusted in His power but not in His concern.
That is a great example because our little squall may not seem so big to others, but it is all we can see at the time. And we should never underestimate what others are feeling in their moments of anguish.
I used to think, "I would like more responsibility." Now I wonder, "How am I going to get that done?" And yet God provides the opportunity and the help from many places at once, many people at once. Our finishing editor Janie Sullivan agreed to try merging all 8 volumes of Luther's Sermons and the Gems into one free PDF to give away. Now we have hundreds who want to share such works, and they are all over the world. I could not do it, and it was new for Janie, but she finished it beautifully.
We can never imagine what God can do, so this verse is all-inclusive. All cares. In fact, there is a neat word-play here.
επ αυτον οτι αυτω
upon him; for he
The pronoun autos is used to clarify the subject, so the quick repetition emphasizes why we should cast all our worries upon God. This also references Old Testament passages.
Psalm 37 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Do we hoard our worries in our puny, weak hands or throw them into God's mighty hand?
What does that verb really mean? When the disciples brought the colt for Jesus to ride, they threw their coats on the animal as a kind of saddle. They no longer wore the coats - they gave the coats away for the triumphal ride into Jerusalem.
So we should throw our worries, anxieties, and cares into God's Mighty Hand, where He shows how much He cares for us.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
One part of the Christian life is humility. The other is watchfulness, vigilance - because Satan (which means opposer) is just like a lion, always prowling about, looking for a new target. One TV show put a lion on stage with a young mother and a baby. The lion saw prey and grabbed for the baby and snagged it for a moment, using claws and teeth, but they pulled the beast away safely.
Idiotic planning? Yes, but we are no different in being targets, because Satan only wants believers. He has the rest of the world already serving in his blasphemous kingdom. The devil is a liar and a murderer who is the greatest cause of grief in this world. He works through nominal Christian leaders, through pagan religions, through cults that pretend to be Christian and "very strict," though that means in protecting utterly corrupt leaders.
As predicted, two large and powerful sex organizations are being seriously prosecuted for the first time. One is Nxium - Keith Raniere. The other is the previously protected Jeffrey Epstein organization. The misery caused by these two monsters is impossible to list, and they are possibly smaller than the Rachel Chandler network and many more.
Luther on Sobriety and Temperance and Eating
46. In order, now, he continues, that ye may be saved from his murderous designs, and may preserve the life you have begun, ye must be sober and watchful; not only mindful of the body, but much rather of the mind and soul. It is true that a Christian who is to resist the devil must be physically sober, for a full hog and drunkard cannot be watchful nor can he plan defense against the devil. Yet must a Christian much more guard himself, lest the soul become sleepy or drunken. As the soul is burdened by the body when the latter is overwhelmed by drunkenness, so, when the soul is watchful and sober, the body also is temperate and prepared to hear God’s Word. But where the body is oppressed by drunkenness, there the soul must first have been a drunkard, not heeding God’s Word nor giving attention to prayer. Where the soul is drunken and drowned in such security, it will not avail that the body suffer hurt by strict fasting and self-mortification, after the fashion of the Carthusians and hermits.
47. Saint Peter, then, forbids not only bodily drunkenness, but also drunkenness of the soul. One’s soul is drunk when he lives in carnal security, without thought and anxiety as to whether he have and hold God’s Word or not: when he asks no questions, either about God’s wrath or his grace; and when he, moreover, lets himself be filled with the sweet poison of false doctrine through the mob of evil spirits Satan employs for this purpose, until he grows numb, loses faith and clear judgment and finally becomes overfull of drunkenness and spews it out upon others.
48. The same thing results when men begin to be wise in divine things by following human reason.
People mock this. They make fun of those who work on doctrinal issues and question the current errors. Why not relax and enjoy retirement? Some pastors refused to do anything until they were retired and then found out they no longer had a voice anywhere. Very few resisted entertainment "worship" services, abusive pastors, repudiation of the Chief Article, promotion of rationalistic Biblical "scholarship."
Steadfast in the Faith means adhering to everything the Holy Spirit teaches in the Bible, especially when spoken by the Son of God.
Today's cunning fables are the re-interpretation of everything in the Bible, often subtle, always backed by the greatest and the best, who are honored by their organizations.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
This is an inspiring end to a brief lesson on the Christian life. We should pay attention to the warnings, to the comfort, and to the Promises.
The Gospel Word invited us into God's Kingdom. Through many trials, upsets, disappointments, and treacherous paths we have been found again by God's excellent Word.
I thought everything was rosy in the Early Church, based on Sunday School. But the demons were busy one second after Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit. They had wolves within and wolves at the door, hungry for the souls of Christians.
To put this into perspective, God has invited us into His eternal glory by His grace through Christ Jesus - after we have suffered a little.
The last four verbs are intended to emphasize how we should be as faithful Christians - not wobbling around in all directions and tossed about like flotsam.
καταρτίσει, - completed
στηρίξει -turned in the right direction
σθενώσει - strengthened, confirmed
θεμελιώσει - the foundation laid.
The glory belongs to God alone. His Word, His grace accomplishes all this.
