Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Standard Time
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn #4 God Himself Is Present
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 #239 Come Thou Almighty King
Be Followers of Christ
The Communion Hymn #316 O Living Bread
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 # 339 All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
Prayers and Announcements
- The roses are in honor of Anita Engleman and our Veterans.
- In treatment - Kermit Way; Randy Anderson; ; Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris; Sarah Buck; Lori Howell; Dr. Lito Cruz and his father.
- Pray for those suffering from emotional and metabolic stress.
- Callie and her parents; little Aaron with the heart problem;
- Pray for those suffering from emotional and metabolic stress.
KJV Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation [ πολιτευμα, citizenship ] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
KJV Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
Twenty-Third Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father: we thank Thee that Thou hast hitherto granted us peace and graciously spared us from war and foreign dominion: We pray Thee, graciously let us continue to live in Thy fear according to Thy will, giving no cause for wars or other punishment; govern and direct our magistrates, that they may not hinder the obedience due to Thee, but maintain righteousness, that we may enjoy happiness and blessing under their government, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Be Followers of Christ
KJV Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
This is an interesting way to deal with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The assumption is - "He is just another teacher and no different from other teachers. In fact, we are smarter than He is." That sounds odd to believers but the logic is typical of unbelievers. They harden themselves against the truth and carry on as enemies. Being clever is not the same as being truthful or sincere. The word sincere comes from Latin - "without wax." Broken pottery was put together with wax to hide the problem. Customers wanted them in the hot sun to see if they were without wax. People who were sincere were also called "tested by the sun" in Greek.
America lost a clever Lutheran professor (son of missionaries) who made a lot of money for himself, gathered many friends, and wrote books mocking the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, His miracles, His atoning death and resurrection. I heard Carl Braaten speak with great emotion about working with the Pope, during an assembly at Augustana College in Rock Island. I wonder what he thought about Pope Francis, SJ, fancying himself as the ultimate anti-Pope - not Lutheran but against anything resembling the Christian Faith.
16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
The opponents first had to establish that Jesus sinned by touching the coinage of the Roman Empire. The trap is so conniving that it builds a concept of Jesus being false and accepting the image of a pagan. We have to see this as a great lesson for ourselves. Jesus was without sin and only doing good things for others, but the abundance of His divine mercy and staggering miracles made His opponents angry and angling for this trap.
We should remember that the mildest form of faith in us is spotted by the Evil Foe and readied for a target. The faithful are addressed sarcastically "You can't possibly believe that..." I heard that a house where a "Lutheran" was visiting. He denied the resurrection.
KJV 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason (apology, defense) of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
The haughtiness gives away the true attitude of the opponents. This approach can be used for topics that are only understood through faith. A good example is the Trinity, though it was well known and believed long before the New Testament began. The Atonement of Christ was clearly taught in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 - but not understood. Those 39 books of the Old Testament, which I teach year around are, like parts of an enormous mosaic where each piece by itself becomes overwhelming when all are put together. The Scriptures are unified and completely harmonious, which is why Luther called the Bible "The Book of the Holy Spirit."
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| Hagia Sophia, Constantinople |
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| Notre Dame Library, South Bend |
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and planning. That is frightening for unbelievers but comforting for believers. We know and trust that the Lord of Creation knows our hearts, our intents, our trust in Him. He helps us even with the tiniest details of life, as well as the major difficulties and wounds. He begins to help us before we think to ask (Isaiah) and He blesses us far more than we pray. Those matters deepen our trust in Him and we realize He is always freeing us from sin.
Jesus sharply addressed these wise guys because He knew they needed to be shaken out of their pride and conceit. People rushed to see and hear Him because He alone taught the righteousness of God instead of the burden of the Pharisaic Law. Like the rich young man, people walked away, because they wanted material blessings but not the Gospel. Others were overwhelmed with food but want another miracle.
19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
7. Here you see the master stroke the Lord uses. He asks them to hand him the tribute money and inquires whose image and superscription it bears. Then they answer him Caesar’s. He then freely concluded that they were subject to Caesar, to whom they were obligated to pay tax and tribute. As if he should say: Have you thus permitted Caesar to come among you, so that he mints your money, and his coin is in circulation and favor among you, then he has triumphed in the game, as if he said: you are to blame that Caesar is your ruler. What should they do now in the face of this answer? They marveled and went away, they thought they would conquer him in a masterly manner, but their wisdom and shrewdness deceived them.
As always Luther displays the humor in the response of Jesus, who has been set up as either the enemy of Judaism or of Rome. In many cases, asking a question solves the problem. Jesus asked the opponents to show what they had in coinage, revealing the simple fact that they were accusing Jesus of using Roman money (to subvert their nation and their religion). They were using the evidence against Jesus against themselves. They were astonished at His superior understanding and walked away marveling.
The churches of the United States failed a similar test. They were ordered to stop public worship. Hardly any church kept the doors open when ordered. However the US Constitution states -
First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Everything Jesus did was completely legal, and His innocence was proved. That only inflamed the opponents. Pilate washed his hands to show his rejection of the false accusations, but the potential for rioting led to the trial of Jesus being carried out.
Response today is similar, and the same errors against Jesus are repeated today. Our completely secular society, which lacks the divine purpose, is weak and futile against the fads and follies of the moment. Luther pointed this out clearly - God cannot lose the battle - it is impossible. The very actions against God are the ones bringing down the created order. The martyrs (literally, the witnesses) spread the Gospel by their willingness to die for the Word of God. As Bunyan pointed out - we may be in Castle Doom, but the Promises are in our pockets. We only need to use the Promises to escape the Castle.
Two forces are at work - God's plan and Satan's devices. If people take on the slave mentality, the end will come more quickly. That is in God's hands, as shown by the Roman Empire (one of my favorite hobbies). The Roman traditions were so strict and ridiculous that one Roman Emperor after the time of Jesus was able to do whatever he wanted in public because he was the Emperor. Rome began collapsing right after the death and resurrection of the Savior. Caesar Augustus led to Tiberius and Nero, then Caligula and total collapse soon after - exactly like all empires. (Go back a ways and the Republic of
Rome required men to marry women or they could not be citizens of the Republic. Later, the Emperor Nero rode around with a boy as his "wife."
My parents, 70 years ago, used to say at the dinner table, "We are becoming Rome." They had a classical education in the public system, and they knew about Roman history, debauchery and collapse.
Americans today have all the power they need, to stand up for the Constitution which was based upon God's Creation (but not burdened by state sponsored denominations, like England's official religion). It is said that many came to America to leave behind the Satanism of Europe, which has blossomed all over the West.
The time has come for people to emphasize the true Word of God rather than venerating the corporate structure of their denominations.
