Tuesday/Wednesday of Trinity 18

 Of First Importance

1 Corinthians 15:1-18 (ESV) Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

One of my brother pastors was teaching a Bible Class on Luther’s Large Catechism and asked his class, “Why do you think Luther put the Ten Commandments first in the Catechism, and the Apostles’ Creed second.” One of his members replied, “Because the Ten Commandments were given by God, but the Creed was produced by men.”

But try that answer out on St. Paul, who gives us the heart and soul of the Creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 —“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” Sound familiar? The divinely inspired St. Paul writes to us the central portion of the Creed almost verbatim, and he describes this “as of first importance,” the most important truth in all the world.

Yes, more important even than the Ten Commandments. And here is why: St. Paul in his sermon at Pisidian Antioch recounts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and then he says: “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38–39).” That is, if you want to be justified by God, to be declared righteous, holy, forgiven, saved—then it can only come through faith in the doctrine of the Second Article of the Creed, not from obedience to the Ten Commandments; salvation only comes from the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, not from “the Law of Moses”!

The reason Dr. Luther puts the Ten Commandments first in the Catechism is a logical ordering, not an ordering of importance or to imply that while the Ten Commandments are from God, the Creed is just from men. No, the Ten Commandments are given first to show us our sins and to teach us that we cannot be justified by obedience to the Law. The Commandments must first preach to us to drive us to despair of our own righteousness and instead acknowledge our utter sinfulness. Then we realize how desperate our situation is—we learn how all who rely on the Ten Commandments for salvation are in fact dead in their sins, condemned to hell. As St. Paul says, “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). May God forbid that! So we desperately need the most important Word of God, the Gospel, to step in to save us and show us that the death of Jesus is a life-giving one.

Today more than ever it is essential for us to boldly proclaim the Creed that contains the Gospel that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, was truly was crucified, died, was buried, and rose as of first importance. Religions that hold the Law as of first importance have always been and always will be, but they cannot save. In response we must continue to confess the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, the testimony from God that all of our hopes hang on the cross, the body laid in the tomb, and that empty tomb on Easter morn, which testifies that Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Prayer (LSB 548):

1. Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious!
    Thanks to Thee, O Lord of Life!
Death hath now no power o’er us,
    Thou hast conquered in the strife.
Thanks because Thou didst arise
And hast opened paradise!
    None can fully sing the glory
    Of the resurrection story.
 
2. Thou hast died for my transgression,
    All my sins on Thee were laid;
Thou hast won for me salvation,
    On the cross my debt was paid.
From the grave I shall arise
And shall meet Thee in the skies.
    Death itself is transitory;
    I shall lift my head in glory.
 
3. For the joy Thine advent gave me,
    For Thy holy, precious Word;
For Thy Baptism, which doth save me,
    For Thy blest Communion board;
For Thy death, the bitter scorn,
For Thy resurrection morn,
    Lord, I thank Thee and extol Thee,
    And in heav’n I shall behold Thee. Amen.

Monday of Trinity 18

 True Unity in the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 (ESV) I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The church in Corinth was falling apart. Paul had founded this congregation on the solid foundation of the Gospel, but now factionalism was threatening to undo everything. So Paul says in the Epistle for the 18th Sunday after Trinity, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

To address the divisions in the Corinthian congregation, Paul basically says: “You are all children of God in Christ Jesus; now start behaving like it! Agree on the doctrine I taught you; don’t be divided over petty things and personality differences; be united under God’s Word as I have preached it and as you have learned it from the Holy Scriptures.”

Notice that Paul doesn’t just say, “Can’t we all get along? Can’t we just put our differences aside?” He says that everyone in a congregation needs to be one in mind and judgment. Those aren’t arbitrary things. He doesn’t give us permission to believe and do whatever we want. In the Christian church, we aren’t all entitled to our own opinions about doctrine. Our unity has to be based in God’s Word, and there is no room for disagreements about the doctrines of Scripture. In other words, believing what the Bible teaches is not negotiable in a congregation, and public disagreements about doctrine cannot be tolerated, even if that means someone has to leave.

Throughout Paul’s letters to congregations, he repeatedly appeals to them to be united under the common doctrine taught to them and also to live at peace with one another through love and forgiveness. To the church at Rome, Paul wrote, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:15-18)

In the church at Corinth, reconciliation was needed. The members had split out into various factions and were quarrelling about which group was the right one to be in. One group said, “We follow Paul.” Another, “We follow Apollos (who was a preacher known for his eloquence, as we learn in Acts).” Another, “We follow Cephas (that is, Peter, another apostle).” And finally, one group said, “We follow Christ.”

When Paul sets out to restore peace to the congregation at Corinth, what does he do? He preaches Jesus Christ crucified for the sins of the world. Paul takes the attention off of Paul and Apollos and Peter and all the people, and fixes their eyes on the cross. The cross humbles us and keeps us from thinking we’re in control of our salvation, or that this is somehow our own church to tinker with. The cross says to us, “This church belongs to the Lord, because He’s the one who bought it with His own blood.”

But most importantly, on the cross we see that peace has been made between God and us; the word of the cross proclaims forgiveness of sins into our ears, and so also offers us the freedom to live at peace with one another in the church. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If we believe that God freely forgives us for Christ’s sake, then we too will gladly forgive those who sin against us. We will be reconciled with each other when sins have divided us.

Embrace the word of cross of Jesus Christ, which saves you and puts you at peace with God and one another. That is where our true unity lies: in Jesus Christ’s cross, by which we have died to the world and the world has died to us. And that unity is one that lasts beyond the grave and extends forever.

 

Prayer (LSB 617:3):
         
May God bestow on us His grace and favor
That we follow Christ our Savior
And live together here in love and union
Nor despise this blest Communion!
    O Lord, have mercy!
Let not Thy good Spirit forsake us;
Grant that heav’nly-minded He make us;
Give Thy Church, Lord, to see
Days of peace and unity:
    O Lord, have mercy! Amen.

Friday/Saturday of Trinity 17

 Pray for Wisdom

1 Kings 3:1-15 (ESV) Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD. Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 3:6-9 is a model of gratefulness and humility as he responds to the Lord’s gracious invitation to ask for a gift (3:5). It begins with praise of God for His steadfast covenant love toward Solomon’s father David, recounting what He has graciously done in the past and is still doing for Solomon now. Then he confesses his weakness and inability to serve Israel without the Lord’s help, so he asks the Lord for “an understanding mind to govern” God’s people with discernment between good and evil.

An unbelieving king would ask for “long life or riches or the life” of his enemies (1 Kings 3:11); in other words, a selfish request. But remarkably, Solomon asked for something that would specifically benefit his neighbor: a mind instructed by godly wisdom.

We can learn from Solomon to focus our prayers on the needs of others. This does not mean that we neglect to pray for our own needs (we do this in the Lord’s Prayer), but even the things we ask for ourselves should have the goal of serving our neighbor. St. Paul supports this when he says, “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10:24).

The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request, so He multiplied His blessings on Solomon. Jesus promises the same to His followers: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). This does not mean that we seek God’s Kingdom as it comes to us in the Word and Sacraments with the intention of gaining benefits for ourselves—that would be selfish! Rather, we seek the Lord’s grace and mercy in the church, and He superabundantly provides for our every need.

Before Solomon was granted a “listening heart” by the Lord, he would frequent the high place in Gibeon, where he “used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar” (1 Kings 3:4). But with his newfound godly wisdom, Solomon sought out the place where the Lord had promised to dwell: in Jerusalem, above the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

Old Testament sacrifices were never meritorious; they did not earn God’s favor. Solomon’s sacrifices at the ark were thank-offerings, expressions of gratitude to the Lord for His mercies. He offered sacrifices in order to “Praise the Lord!” as the Psalmist encourages us to do in Psalm 116:12-19:

“What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!”

And then he held a feast for all his servants, celebrating the Lord’s goodness! We too gather for a feast each Sunday in the Lord’s house, gladly receiving the Bread of Life, lifting up the Cup of salvation, and calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus!

Prayer: Almighty and merciful God, by Your gift alone Your faithful people render true and laudable service. Help us steadfastly to live in this life according to Your promises and finally attain Your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Wednesday/Thursday of Trinity 17

 Strength in God, not in Numbers

1 Kings 18:17-24, 36-40 (ESV) When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”…

And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

If Israel’s fate had been in the hands of democracy, the vote would have been: prophets of Baal, 450; Elijah, 1! As it was, Israel was a theocracy, with Elijah as the Lord’s appointed prophet, so the Lord’s will eventually would prevail. Yet Israel had become captivated by the “strength in numbers” of the Baal and Asherah prophets.

As Christians, we are free to defend democracy as the best form of public governance (or even the governance of congregations through voters’ assemblies), but we can never apply a “strength in numbers” philosophy to Christian doctrine, which is strictly defined only by the Holy Scriptures, God’s inspired and inerrant Word. As a favorite saying among Christian reformers in the Middle Ages and Reformation went, a simple layman with a clear text of Scripture could stand against a false teaching of even the Pope!

We also must be wary of drawing conclusions from numbers in religion, as if the fastest-growing sect must be “doing something right” that the rest are not. A growth-analysis of the “churches” of Baal and Asherah would have been quite impressive in Elijah’s day! No one is opposed to the true church growing, but we must be careful to preserve and teach the true and saving doctrine of the Bible, and then let the Lord do the work through His Word as we share the Gospel with our neighbors. “Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given [John 20:22]. He works faith, when and where it pleases God [John 3:8], in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake” (Augsburg Confession, Article V, Concordia, 33).

The only true growth in numbers comes from conversion and repentance, which involves fear, love, and trust in God above all things. The Israelites went from apathy toward the Lord to fear after He exposed Baal as nothing and revealed His incredible power. They were brought to their knees, and onto their faces! Yet this response was not yet true love or trust in God, but only fear. And not just filial fear (as children respect their parents) but servile fear (as a slave cowers at the sight of an abusive slaveholder). It would take further teaching and preaching by Elijah and other prophets to restore the people to a right worship of God, entailing fear, love, and trust in Him above all things.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has rescued us from servile fear by “taking the form of a servant” and “becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). Since He has set us free from sin, we fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. At the name of Jesus, our knees bow (or at least our hearts do!) and tongues confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God our loving Father (2:9-11). On the Last Day, believers will already be kneeling when He returns, but unbelievers will be like those Israelites in Elijah’s day: they will be brought low in fear and trembling, and their confession of Christ will not be one of love and trust. They will be lost, for their worship lacked faith in God’s mercy, through which we are saved.

Prayer: Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Elijah, You continued the prophetic pattern of teaching Your people the true faith and demonstrating through miracles Your presence in creation to heal it of its brokenness. Grant that Your Church may see in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the final end-times prophet whose teaching and miracles continue in Your Church through the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday of Trinity 17

 Easy as 1-2-3

Ephesians 4:1-6 (ESV) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

In medical care, numbers like oxygen saturation percentage, heart rate, and blood pressure are key indicators of health. In the business world, numbers such net assets or net income are crucial measures of success. But in the Christian church, statistics about numerical growth or average attendance are not necessarily key metrics of health or success.

Just read the New Testament. The Lord makes clear that He does not gauge success on external results and counting. In the Parables of the Sower (Mt 13:1–5; Mk 4:1–12;  Lk 8:4–10) and the Growing Seed (Mk 4:26–29), the sower scatters the Seed of the Gospel all over the place, but then doesn’t fret about the results. God produces results. “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (Mk 4:26–27).

St. Paul says basically the same thing in 1 Corinthians 3:6–7: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” The garden and the growth belong to the Lord. So we as Christians are not called to achieve outward success by our own efforts, but rather be faithful to the Gospel and the truth of God’s Word.

In truth, the Christian approach to numbers is easy as 1-2-3. In Christianity, the most important numbers are one and three, with two thrown in for good measure. St. Paul wrote in our Epistle for Trinity 17, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). Elsewhere he said, “There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

Our one Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to us the one name of God, who is three indivisible Persons. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Three Persons, one Name placed upon us in Holy Baptism, and the one crucified and risen Lord Jesus present with us forever. Three and one: those are the numbers that count.

But Jesus also throws in two for good measure. The one Lord Jesus Christ has told His church, “Where two or three have been gathered together in My name, there I am among them” (Matthew 18:20). When Jesus is here, the Savior of the world is here, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is here, the King of kings and Lord of lords is here, the whole kingdom of heaven is here, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—all here. When Jesus is present with us, He who has died to achieve forgiveness of all of your sins, you lack nothing. In fact, “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21), and “all” is beyond any sort of counting!

Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday of Trinity 17

 Opposition to the Proud, Grace for the Humble

Luke 14:7-11 (ESV) Now Jesus told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

A prominent and wealthy Pharisee gave a dinner, and Jesus made it a parable acted out in real life. What is striking is that a Pharisee had invited Jesus at all and that He accepted the invitation. Throughout His ministry Jesus was at odds with the Pharisees, especially with their belief that a person could be saved by obeying the Law. The fact that Jesus accepted the invitation tells us something about Jesus and His Father in heaven. Jesus was a socially indiscriminate person. So is God. Jesus fraternized even with those whose outlook on life was directly opposed to His. But this is the entire story of God’s redemption of the world. In Jesus, God came to a world entirely opposed to Him. He came to save even those who were traitors against him and treated him as an enemy.

Jesus took this ordinary situation in life and developed it into a sermon that stripped His fellow guests down to the core. Even before the food and drink were served, He reprimanded the guests for going after the most prominent seats. Imagine a mob of people standing outside the doors of a restaurant waiting to get in. The doors are opened and everyone rushes for the best tables. The scene must have been chaotic, but it was the right occasion for Jesus to remind them of the embarrassment of taking the wrong seat. In God’s world, putting others first is the only way to get along. To God alone belongs the glory of creating us, redeeming us, and raising us to new heights in Christ. If we try to assert ourselves and claim to be big or important, we make God’s work redundant; we oppose His work. The Bible says that God casts down the conceited and exalts the lowly; He opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Perhaps putting others first sometimes makes sense even in this world, but what makes no sense at all is the admonition of Jesus that next time the host should invite only those who could not repay the invitation. In the verses after our Gospel reading for today, Jesus says, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Now that is no way to run a business. Life depends on tit for tat, cause and effect, payment and repayment. The business lunch and entertainment expenses are a fact of life. If I do you a favor, you owe me one. But in God’s economy no one owes anything. Whatever we owed God, Jesus Christ has paid. He invites people to His banquet hall in heaven with no preconditions, nor because He expects to get something in return. Since God has no uncollected debts with us, we can have no uncollected debts with others. We do good to people who are incapable of repaying us because in Christ, God has paid all. As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Everything has been marked “Paid in full” because of what Jesus cried out on the cross: “It is finished!”

After the account of the guests struggling for the best seats, Jesus says, “Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and everyone who humbles himself shall be exalted.” Here is the picture of the true Christian who asks nothing for himself but acknowledges that before God he is only a sinner and deserves nothing but the wrath of God and the torture and shame of eternal punishment. There is, however, a deeper meaning. “Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and everyone who humbles himself shall be exalted.” This is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, who always took the lowest positions in life and asked nothing for Himself. St. Paul says of Jesus that, “Though He was God, He took upon Himself the form of a servant and humbled Himself even unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-11). On that account God exalted Him by raising Him from the dead, raising Him into heaven, and seating Him at His right hand. The Son of God, whom the heavens and the highest heavens could not contain, was among us as a servant and never asked and never took any privileges or prerogatives for Himself.

Jesus is the model of humility. Though He was infinitely rich, He came among us as a poor and lowly person, our servant. Now that He has been enthroned as King of all, He invites all to share in His kingdom. In Jesus, God brings to Himself those people who can do nothing for Him in return. He does this to demonstrate to us the riches and abundance of His grace, giving us a participation in the resurrection of the righteous. Whoever is raised with Christ has everything. If we were ever able to do anything for God, then we would take some of the credit away from Jesus. But we are actually so helpless and lost that we can do nothing at all. In our weakness, God’s glory is seen, in that He lifts up the weak and gives them life.

Prayer (LSB 434:1):

Lamb of God, pure and holy,
    Who on the cross didst suffer,
Ever patient and lowly,
    Thyself to scorn didst offer.
All sins Thou borest for us,
Else had despair reigned o’er us:
    Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus! Amen.

Friday/Saturday of Trinity 16

 The Compelling Promises of Baptism

Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
 
“That’s not just a threat; it’s a promise.” I can remember various teachers I had over the years saying that to the class when they wanted to get really serious. “I’m not making any old idle threat that I won’t follow through on,” they were saying.
 
But when God makes threats, He doesn’t need to say, “This isn’t just a threat; it’s a promise,” because His threats are always promises to act according to the threat. He doesn’t make idle threats. When He told Adam that eating the forbidden fruit would lead to death, it was a promised threat. God always is faithful to His Word (2 Timothy 2:8); He always does what He says. So when He tells us, “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20) and “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), we can take that to the bank.
 
God is just, so for Him not to punish sin would be an inconsistency on His part. But in His unfathomable mercy, God took the threats and aimed them at Himself rather than at us. He sent His only-begotten Son into human flesh to stand in our place: “For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The threat to punish sin was followed through on Mt. Calvary, where the Son was forsaken to the torments of hell by the Father in our place, so that we need not face the threats of eternal death, but receive the promise of eternal life in Christ: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
 
And the promise of resurrected eternal life with Christ is a compelling promise. The Holy Spirit uses that promise to bring us to faith in God our Savior. On the other hand, we law-minded humans rely on threats to compel changes in the behavior of others. Just think of our entire legal system; it is based on the power to punish injustice. Its threats compel people to obey. But when God wants to compel us to trust in Him as our Savior, He doesn’t use force; He uses His promises. He sends His Son to die for us, and then sends us Holy Baptism to incorporate us into His Son’s death and resurrection.
 
Dr. Luther highlights this promise in his catechetical hymn about Baptism. As Luther portrays the Baptism of Jesus Christ, he says that the Trinity’s presence there offers us compelling promises:
 

There stood the Son of God in love,

His grace to us extending;

The Holy Spirit like a dove

Upon the scene descending

The triune God assuring us,

With promises compelling,

That in our Baptism He will thus

Among us find a dwelling

To comfort and sustain us. (LSB 406:4)

 
God’s compelling promises are to comfort and sustain us by dwelling with us in our Baptism. Believe it, because it is true!
 
St. Peter wrote, “Baptism…now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism saves us by crying out to God on our behalf, begging for and obtaining a good conscience, one clear from the guilt of sin, because of the resurrection of Jesus.
 
Since Baptism is always at work obtaining a clear conscience for you, that means Baptism saves you now! Not just in the future, but you are saved from the guilt of your sins. Dr. Luther summarizes this when he asks and answers in the Small Catechism: “What benefits does Baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.” Notice how the compelling words and promises of God are given in the present tense. We possess all these things now!
 
All of us need to continually hear God’s compelling promise, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). It is a free gift of salvation, through water and the Word, by the promise that Baptism forgives our sins, rescues us from hell, and gives us eternal salvation.
 
That promise is to be received by faith, but note well that faith is not a work. Dr. Luther says in the Large Catechism, “this single phrase, ‘Whoever believes,’ does so much. It excludes and repels all the works that we can do, when we suppose that we gain and merit salvation by our works. For it is determined that whatever is not faith does nothing or receives nothing [Hebrews 11:6]…Baptism…is not our work, but God’s…God’s works are saving and necessary for salvation. They do not exclude, but demand, faith. For without faith they could not be grasped.”
 
So believe the promises, and receive them with an “Amen,” which means, “yes, it shall be so.” “Amen” is the right response to God’s gifts, the right answer to God’s promises, so join me in a hearty “Amen.”
 
Prayer (LSB 616):
 
1. Baptismal waters cover me
As I approach on bended knee;
    My Father’s mercy here I plead,
    For grievous sins of thought and deed.
 
2. I look to Christ upon the tree,
His body broken there for me;
    I lay before Him all my sin,
    My darkest secrets from within.
 
3. Lord, may Your wounded hand impart
Your healing to my broken heart;
    Your love alone can form in me
    A heart that serves You joyfully.
 
4. From Your own mouth comes forth a word;
Your shepherd speaks, but You are heard;
    Through him Your hand now stretches out,
    Forgiving sin, destroying doubt.
 
5. Baptismal waters cover me;
Christ’s wounded hand has set me free.
    Held in my Father’s strong embrace,
    With joy I praise Him for His grace. Amen.