Judica Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2020
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
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 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 #40 The God of Abram Praise
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #40 The God of Abram Praise
I AM - The Divinity of Christ
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 #410 Jesus Lead Thou On
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 #410 Jesus Lead Thou On
Prayers and Announcements
- Treatment and recovery - Rush Limbaugh, Kermit Way, Christina Jackson. Recovery - John Hicks.
- In the last stage of cancer and heart disease - Tom Fulcher, Diane Popp's brother-in-law.
- Diagnosis and surgery - Randy Anderson, Andrea's father.
- Someone's brother has health issues.
- Pray for our country as the major trials begin.
- Wednesdays are Vespers at 7 PM, followed by The Gospel of John in Greek, translating slowly for newcomers.
- Pastor and Mrs. Palangyos - their daughter Jeshra.
KJV Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Genesis 15:6 And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Background for the Gospel Sermon - John 8: 46ff
This passage is the key Scripture for teaching us the meaning of I AM. The Gospel lesson also reminds us of the ancient way of reading the Scriptures, not as isolated talking points. Instead, the bright passages shine light on the more obscure ones. If we cannot see what I AM means in the Gospel of John, the clearest one will teach us what the rest are teaching.
When we speak of pagan gods, we usually say something like "the god of the ocean, the god of the underworld, the god of hunting, the god of destruction." However, in this passage and related ones, I AM is the true name of God, as we know from Exodus 3.
In a paraphrase, we might say "I AM the only True God," but the name is simpler and more majestic - "I AM." Therefore, the descriptions in the I AM passages are a set of phrases that define I AM and teach us what I AM means. So we have I Am as the Living Bread from Heaven, I AM as the Resurrection and the Life, I AM in His mission as the Good Shepherd.
Most important, this passage focuses on the religious hatred of Jesus, because He identified with the I AM of the Burning Bush. That explains more than ever the opposition.
The rationalistic theologians have very little use for the theo (God) in their names. They do not like the Gospel of John at all. They want to make it Greek philosophy written centuries after Christ. But Jesus is not another Socrates but the great I AM. The rationalists dismiss John but everyone agrees the public ministry of Jesus was three years long. The source? - the Gospel of John. They place John in Ephesus, which was the mother church of early Christianity. Why was it such a powerful influence? Because of the Apostle John and his witness as "the disciple Jesus loved." Also, our earliest written fragment of any Gospel in that age is a scrap from the Fourth Gospel. Its date puts the authorship in the first century.
I AM - The Divinity of Christ
KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
1. This Gospel teaches how hardened persons become the more furious, the more one teaches them and lovingly stirs them to do their duty. For Christ asks them here in a very loving way for a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither with his life nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for he defies them and says: “Which of you convicteth me of sin?” His teaching also is blameless; for he adds: “If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?” Thus Christ lives, as he teaches.
The leading responses to the question, "Who would you like to speak to, if you could, on a park bench for one hour?"
- Jesus
- My sainted mother.
The second one cannot be arranged, but can be addressed in this life. Few have mothers that died young, but those who do - they carry a deep sense of loss and hurt. One of my classmates told me about hers. One of our great blessings was having my mother in our home at the end of her life.
We can speak to and listen to Jesus at any time, and the Gospel of John is the one most focused on the key points of His teaching. Besides that, John's sermon passages are extensive compared to the first three Gospels, which establish the main points of His ministry and His basic teaching.
The opening statement is about faith. Those who believe in God see His Word and pay attention to His teaching. "Why do you not believe Me?" Faith means trusting in and being filled with the wisdom of Jesus. Unfaith means finding reasons to reject the Word Himself, finding fault at every point.
We see this in human behavior. If something is offered as truth, and the truth is disturbing, the response is often, "You are a bad person," (to put it mildly). The accusation has nothing to do with the fact itself, but continued personal attacks are used to make the statement seem to be wrong. In a logic class, I warned the class I would use logical fallacies. So one group said something and I asked where they were from. They said, "Mesa." I responded, "That explains everything!" in a patronizing way. They were instantly angry with me. I told them, "You were warned. If you had a good argument, you would say, What does that have to do with the facts? - putting me on the defensive."
48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
The topic is faith in Christ but it is turned into a personal attack. That is very weak, but people are weak. The truth is valued because it is so rare. On relatively minor issues we often have to be told many times because of our resistance. On the eternal issues of faith in God, rejection of the truth creates more hardness and blindness, because that is the divine effect of the divine Word.
The Pharisees were blameless outwardly, but they lacked faith in the true God. When rationalistic Christian pastors - trained for years in skepticism - hear the words of faith, they toss such insults as:
- Redneck (a compliment in Arkansas, but not meant that way)
- Fundamentalist (actually a term for Calvinists)
- Ignorant (that is, not agreeing with them).
49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
This is one of many pivotal messages in the Gospel of John. As I have said many times, Jesus speaks the Words of His Father and acts in perfect harmony with Him. He is the human voice and will of God the Father. Do we approach someone who terrifies us? No. Do we ask anything? No. But perfect love casts out fear. When we receive and grasp and love the forgiving, compassionate voice of Jesus, that fear is thrown away.
Hymns are a great way to be reminded of these truths, because the hymns that last are Christ-centered and faithful to the Word. I highly recommend them with earphones for sound fidelity or a little sound board for about the same cost - $20. The soundboard plugs into the computer and the earphones plug into the soundboard.
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
51 αμην αμην λεγω υμιν "εαν τις τον λογον τον εμον τηρηση, θανατον ου μη θεωρηση εις τον αιωνα"
This saying, by itself, is one of great comfort and encouragement. "Keep" is also translated and understood as "guard." That means remaining in the Word, studying it so the evil one does not snatch it away, being wary of false teachers who have dazzling new truths that are a rehash of old heresies.
There is a condition in this verse, but the "if" does not apply to works but to fidelity. Faith is the good tree that bears good fruit. Those who trust in Jesus as the Son of God, Savior, Redeemer - they will never, ever see death. The original words are first "not" and then "in eternity." That is as strong an emphasis as possible.
Verily, verily, I say unto you - In Greek class, 53 years ago, we grew weary of translating these words. They are used so many times. However, in the Greek manuscripts, with no punctuation, no verse numbers, no red ink for the sayings of Jesus, this is a way of saying - The following words are extremely important. Listen up.
52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
I hate to mention this, but that is exactly how the "old" synod Lutherans respond to Justification by Faith. They say they belong to the old order. They are the children of Walther. "How dare a carpet-bagger come in and tell them what Luther taught when Walther has already made it clear!" (The next book is Luther's Galatians, followed by CFW Walther: The American Calvin.)
The Jewish opponents placed their trust in their blood relationship with Abraham. The previous faith-in-Him statement makes them furious and in that fury claimed to be heirs with our father Abraham.
This passage is directly related to Romans 4, where Paul shows that people are children of Abraham by faith, because he believed the Promise of the Messianic kingdom and was counted righteous by God- Justified by Faith. (Christian News [sic] calls this teaching "Satanic.")
Art thou greater than our father Abraham
This is an important moment for Jesus and for all who believe in Him. The opponents (who come in many varieties) are asking for a testimony. Evading this testimony is the same and denying the truth. In fact, it is worse. Evasion leaves the issue murky and undecided. There is not gradient (as in gradual color change) between faith and unbelief.
What do you make yourself?
They demand Jesus identify Himself, to clarify His role, as He sees it. This is building to the central point in the entire Gospel about His divinity as He revealed it to the opponents, with expected results.
54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
This is really a clear, firm statement where Jesus refused to duck the question and answered it with divine majesty and authority. Take this away from John's Gospel and nothing makes sense, because all the sermons are based upon the divinity of Christ and His immediate access to God the Father.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
The opponents played the "children of Abraham card," but Jesus was far ahead of them. Through God's Promises, Abraham saw into the future. He, very elderly, unlikely to have a son, and his wife, even less likely to give birth, would begin a line that leads to the Savior and an ever-growing, eternal Kingdom of God. Abraham is the Father of Faith in the Bible, one who believed in the future and rejoiced. Jesus is both commending faith in Him and condemning the rejection of God's Promises.
57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.
The opponents responded the way all unbelievers do. Their response is on the human plane. You a mere man have seen Abraham? - you are not even 50 years old.
Jesus answered from eternity - from the Holy Trinity - "Before Abraham ever existed - I AM."
They knew from the Greek Old Testament that Jesus was using the verse in Greek with the same wording. There is an eternity of difference between I AM (God), and "It's me." They certainly knew the Name of God from Exodus 3 and Jesus used it for Himself. They could no more tolerate this than the modern, rationalists can stand to hear it today. ELCA plainly denies the divinity and Virgin Birth of Christ, not to mention His miracles and resurrection - all denied.
Why would anyone want to do religious work with them, sponsor a religious broadcast with them, share in supporting abortion with them? Ask LCMS-WELS-ELS.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
The response was murderous. They would have killed Him, if they could, but that was not God's will. His divinity was shown again by His passing by them, His divinity not impeded by His human body, (the non-reciprocity of the second genus).
The timing belonged to the Father's Promises in the Old Testament. That is why someone who knows the Old Testament is struck by the parallels in the New Testament. Likewise, those who know the New Testament best are astounded by the passages which are so clearly Messianic.
This Lesson
The Fourth Gospel is the doctrinal Gospel, clarifying and emphasizing the teaching of Jesus. This lesson is not only clear about His divinity and relationship with the Father, but also about the connections with the Old Testament.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Grace in the Bible means that God prepared a remedy for our weakness and sins, so that all sins are forgiven and removed as we daily live our lives in faith.
