The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, 2023
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Introit p. 16
Introit
God is in His holy habitation:
He is God who setteth the solitary in families.
The God of Israel is He that giveth strength:
and power unto His people.
Psalm. Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered:
let them also that hate Him flee before Him.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of Thy mercy, forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
My heart trusteth in God, and I am helped:
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
and with my song will I praise Him.
V. Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord, my Rock:
be not silent to me; hear the voice at my supplications.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Lord, Thou hast been our Dwelling Place in all generations.
Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Resurrection - The Ultimate Proof
[Some parts of the Danish rural population firmly held to Kingo's hymns during the Pietist and Rationalist period, contributing to their survival.]
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 #216 On Christ's Ascension
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 #216 On Christ's Ascension
In Our Prayers
- Diagnosis and Treatment - Sarah Buck, Lori Howell, Robert Northcutt, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris, Kermit and Maria Way, Callie. Mary Howell had good results from testing. Also for prayers - metabolic disorders and stress.
- Dottie cleaned Ranger Bob's home yesterday and today. Three people from the neighborhood mowed his lawn, including Big John (Bible John), in the heat.
KJV Matthew 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
KJV 1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
KJV Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Eleventh Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we beseech Thee so to guide and direct us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not forget our sins and be filled with pride, but continue in daily repentance and renewal, seeking our comfort only in the blessed knowledge that Thou wilt be merciful unto us, forgive us our sins, and grant us eternal life; through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Resurrection - The Ultimate Proof
KJV 1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
Luther questioned whether this lesson belonged with Trinity 11, which reminds people today how much the appointed lessons vary. Also, there are named groups of pericopes (selections) used in worship services. The one-year historic pericopes, which we use, come from the distant past. The most recent one is the three-year set which came from the Church of Rome and spread throughout the liberal mainline denominations, including ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS.
Lenker used translators from various Lutheran synods to provide the sermons in his set. He was trained at Hamma in Ohio and taught at Dana (Danish) Seminary.
This passage reminds us that 1) Trinitarian statements are often found in Paul's letters, though denied by the Left; 2) the resurrection of Jesus is basic to everything, from His Incarnation to His Ascension. Every detail matters, which is why the apostates belittle and mock the divine proofs of Jesus' work and wonders. All of this was accomplished by Him to give us security, peace, and hope in the midst of anxieties and fears.
The believers in Corinth provide a wealth of troubles to discuss, and the false teachers inspired even more. That is why 1 and 2 Corinthians are so important to us today. The two letters are remarkable in addressing those issues and teaching us from those controversies.
Basic to the Gospel are these two points -
Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins;
Jesus rose from death and ascended to Heaven.
That was a powerful message because over 500 witnessed the risen Christ and spread the Gospel immediately, so the death and resurrection were well known at that time. Even the greatest skeptics have agreed that the empty tomb was not questioned in those days with so many witnesses. The ELCA seminaries got my letter in 1987 asking if any professors taught the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection of Christ. Only one professor was identified as saying it probably happened. With such teaching of anti-faith, the ELCA seminaries shriveled and soon begged for a place (like a college) to lodge their tiny faculties, because there was no room at the inn.
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Lenski, 1 and 2 Corinthians, p. 625.
One fact was in Paul’s favor: those who questioned the
resurrection of the dead still believed firmly in the
resurrection of Christ. If they had denied that they
would have departed so completely from the historic
foundation of faith that Paul would have treated them
as apostates. As it is, Paul makes Christ’s resurrection
the fulcrum for his presentation of the doctrine that
we, too, shall be raised from the dead. Thus the first
eleven verses are thetical in form, a restatement of
undisputed facts.
Because the preached Word is effective in making us believe in the Resurrection of Christ, we can fall into doubt about that also applying to us as believers. The Spirit takes from the Son and gives that truth to us. A firm conviction that we will also rise from the dead can conquer self-doubt, moving from the plain facts of mortal life to the everlasting Gospel of eternal life through faith in Him. "Everyone is saved, without Christ" (Universalism) is just as foolish as "Everyone goes to Heaven because God is so gracious" (Unitarians, though they are now almost completely anti-God.)
Because we are sinful by nature, our trust in eternal life comes from the Resurrection of Christ, faith in Him. Note that many false religions teach the righteousness of the Law, which condemns sin and then insists on the Law earning forgiveness in some way.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
Paul was not at the cross, empty tomb, or the locked room, but Christ appeared to him. Christ converted Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul became an apostle by virtue of this conversion and face to face meeting. So Paul had firsthand knowledge of Jesus Christ and training by Him. This continued with the groups Paul established or strengthened.
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
The details are very important to relate, because the risen Lord established the faith of those who had been weakened from the terrible events. And a large body of people also saw and heard the risen Christ. Believers had developed from people Jesus blessed with miracles. The resurrection appearances expanded from that and became the foundation of the Christian Faith growing through persecution. Soon it was not only the apostles and Paul, but also the 500 who spread the divine Word to others. The world was longing for a Savior and they created an enormous number of manuscripts to take to various ethnic groups in their own language and the universal language of Greek.
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
These details are important because they show how extensive the Gospel witness was. As the Savior said before His Ascension, He would rule from Heaven, and the Holy Spirit would teach and guide the Apostles and the new pastors around the world.
I remember one Objective Justification without Faith expert saying that Thomas did not reach India - it was a myth. I pointed out that one province, Kerala, was majority Christian while the rest of the sub-continent was and is pagan. The tradition for St. Thomas is very strong, even if he did not sign the guestbook.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Paul was busy persecuting the Christians before Christ appeared before Him. This meant he had to be very humble in facing the Apostles, but he also stuck to the truth of the Gospel when there was conflict about kosher foods.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
We are all likely to smile at Paul's tendency to praise his work, but 1) the biographical information matters, and 2) he always acknowledged God giving him the energy.
God becoming man - the ultimate proof is Christ crucified and human in every possible way. But He rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven, giving directs to His apostles to carry out the work all over the world, as predicted in the Fourth Gospel.
The Promise of eternal life through faith in Him (the only way we receive grace) comes from God, not our superiority. In these times of turmoil and decay, the Resurrection is the foundation of our peace and joy.
The End
