Sunday, August 28, 2016
28 August 2016
Pastor Cain's sermon today quoted excerpts from "An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans" from Luther's German Bible of 1522.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Sermon for 17 August 2016, Wednesday of Trinity XII
Rev. Paul J Cain
Isaiah 29:17-24
Faithful to Us
Wednesday of Trinity XII, 17 August 2016
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
When we face
uncertainty in our lives, people react in different ways. Some behave like an
egg. When boiled, an egg gets hard. Others act like a potato. When boiled, a
potato goes soft. Still others are like coffee or tea. The tea or coffee
transforms the boiling water into a pleasant beverage that provides alertness
for the present and future. No matter what happens, the Lord is faithful to us.
Our uncertainties regarding today and tomorrow are well
addressed by the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah writes to God’s people seven hundred years before
Christ. The northern kingdom, Israel, would fall to the Assyrians in 722.
Twenty years later, Jerusalem, the capital city of the southern kingdom, Judah,
would be under siege. There would be a reprieve. Judah and Jerusalem would
eventually fall in 587, over a hundred years after that..
TLSB: The visitation of the Lord will bring death and
destruction to Jerusalem. Yet the Lord promises to do wonderful things with His
people. God desires genuine repentance, not hypocrisy. God has accomplished
wonderful things for us through the gracious visitation of His Son in our human
flesh. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has turned the world upside down and
removed our shame. [We pray with King David:] “Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 51:10).
Those who mock the Lord, those who prefer their ways to the
Lord’s ways will face consequences. Lebanon with its strong cedars mocked the
one true God. TLSB: Soon Lebanon will be humiliated (2:13; 10:34; 37:24).[This]
Illustrates the coming divine reversal, when the exalted will be humbled and
the humble will be exalted. [This is what we hear in verses 17-19.]
17 Is
it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful
field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? 18 In that day the deaf
shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of
the blind shall see. 19 The
meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult
in the Holy One of Israel.
Christ Jesus made the deaf hear and made the eyes of the
blind see. TLSB: Jesus quotes this as evidence of His ministry.
The time of the Lord’s action is coming. The meek will find
joy, the poor shall exult in Christ. TSLB: They will experience new things that
bring them joy.
The Holy One of Israel will give His people His own holiness
in exchange for their sin and unrighteousness. This is the Divine Reversal.
This is the Great Exchange. The Lord will provide. We know this because of His
Gospel promises. We also know that the Lord was faithful to provide daily bread
in the past and to keep His promises. Where people may be unfaithful, the Lord
is faithful, dependable, trustworthy, true, and good.
The Lord has made known in His Word what His will is. His
desire is that we would keep His Commandments. As sinners, that is not
possible. Our inability to do His will in that regard does not negate His good
and gracious will for us to keep the Ten Commandments. Gracious, merciful, and
abounding in steadfast love and mercy, the Lord has provided His only begotten
Son as our substitute. Our sins are forgiven, we are absolved for not achieving
His standard of holiness, and our guilt is atoned for, all in Jesus Christ.
The Lord provides.
Yes, the Lord provides forgiveness, life, and salvation. Yes,
the Good Shepherd provides undershepherds, pastors, to serve His flock gathered
around Word and Sacrament in different times and places. Yes, the Lord provides
to His Church all that we need to support this body and life.
We should remember that the Church, the Body of Christ, is
the people of Christ, the baptized, all given the gift of faith through the
Word and the work of God the Holy Spirit. We have been resourced with all that
we need to do the Lord’s mission and ministry according to His wishes. Yet, we
are often reluctant to prioritize the Lord’s Word, will, and ways and we may
want to do things our way instead.
It is not that the Lord hasn’t provided for the work He has
given us to do in Gospel outreach and human care. He has provided generously.
Yet, sometimes, what the Lord has provided to His Church, His people, does not
always get returned to the Lord for His work in a congregation.
The Church is not primarily a building. The Church is not
primarily a human organization. The Church is not primarily a 501(c)(3) religious
nonprofit organization under the laws of the United States of America. In the
Smalcald Articles, Luther himself says, “Thank God, today a seven-year-old
child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear
the voice of their Shepherd [John 10:11–16]. [SA III XII 1–2]”[1]
Jesus is always our Good Shepherd. He never leaves us, never
forsakes us, and never leaves us without His loving care. In contrast, verses
twenty and twenty-one of our text introduce us to the proud, selfish, greedy,
and abusive people that prey upon others: 20 For
the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to
do evil shall be cut off, 21who
by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who
reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the
right.
TLSB: The proud people [are here] described in greater
detail. They deprive the poor and innocent of justice. The prophet [Isaiah] addresses
this perversion of the Law (e.g., 1:17; 5:7–8).
What were the problems? TLSB: False testimony or judgment
wrongly convicts the helpless. [They perjure themselves for their own benefit.
They mock others.] They oppress anyone who testifies against them. [They abuse
the legal process and corrupt it. They deny true justice. They bear false
witness against their neighbor and against the Commandment of God. They do not
keep their promises. They lie.]
The good Lord, our Good Shepherd will never do those things
to you. Ever. And to remind his first hearers and us, Isaiah brings us God’s
faithfulness to Abraham: 22 Therefore thus says
the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more
shall his face grow pale. 23For
when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will
sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in
awe of the God of Israel. 24And
those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur
will accept instruction.”
What does this mean? TLSB: Abraham’s redemption was his
“exodus” from his homeland, away from its idols and false gods (Jsh 24:2). The
Lord brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give him the Promised Land (Gn
15:7). In like manner, the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt to give them the
same land (cf Ex 20:1–2). Exodus imagery runs throughout Is (e.g., Is 12:2;
43:16–17). [In addition, the Lord will gather to Himself the faithful remnant
of the so-called “ten lost tribes.” He will perform yet another “exodus,” and
the faithful remnant of the Judeans will return from their Babylonian exile and
rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord.]
There will be no need for the faithful people of the Lord to
grow pale in fear of their enemies or their future, for the Lord will be with
them. Even the uncertainties of the future will not cause them to lose their
faith.
And then? TLSB: They will honor God by living in His ways.
Cf Ex 20:7. [They will keep their promises to the Lord and one another. They
will return to the Lord their God in heart, mind, word, and deed.] And I love
what comes next in verse 24. TLSB: Some who drifted from faith will return.
Some who spoke against God or engaged in other religious practices will seek
God’s truth.[2]
17 Is
it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful
field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? 18 In that day the deaf
shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of
the blind shall see. 19 The
meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult
in the Holy One of Israel.
TLSB: God desires genuine repentance, not hypocrisy. God has
accomplished wonderful things for us through the gracious visitation of His Son
in our human flesh. Lord promises to do wonderful things with His people.
The Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ, gives His people His
own holiness in exchange for their sin and unrighteousness. This is the Divine
Reversal. This is the Great Exchange. The Lord will provide. We know this
because of His Gospel promises. We also know that the Lord was faithful to
provide daily bread in the past and to keep His promises. He will remain
faithful to all of us that we may exult in Him. Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Sermon for 14 August 2016, Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
The Rev. Paul J Cain
Romans 10:1-17
Confess and Believe Jesus
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, 14 August 2016
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
For an Elder to Read
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Confess and Believe
Jesus. By faith, the gift of God working within us, Christians confess and
believe Jesus.
The sermon text for
today is the alternate Epistle lesson from Romans 10. Verse nine particularly resonates with us: …if
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Day by day and
Sunday by Sunday, Christians confess their sins, confess faith in Jesus, and
receive forgiveness for all of their sins. We are saved by grace, through
faith, won on the cross of Christ and in His Resurrection, and delivered to us
every day of her Christian life as a gift from the Lord.
St. Paul begins
chapter 10 showing his godly concern for his own family of people, the Jews.
Brothers, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for
God, but not according to knowledge.
For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and
seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's
righteousness. For Christ is the end of
the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Many of us are
concerned for our families, that they would know, believe, and steadfastly hold
to the righteousness that comes only from God. The Lamb of God that takes away
the sin of the world took away her sin and gave in its stead Christ’s pure
white robe of righteousness. This is the righteousness that comes from God.
Righteousness based on the law is impossible, for we all sin. We cannot, by our
own doing, by being a good person, attain such righteousness. But the
righteousness based on faith is here, waiting for you, a gift.
For Moses writes
about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the
commandments shall live by them. But the
righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will
ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down) or " 'Who will descend into the abyss?'
" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we
proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. For with the heart one believes
and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who
believes in him will not be put to shame."
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord
of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved."
The Word is near
you. How near? One would only need to glance at the liturgy each Sunday or that
which is before you today to see the Scripture passages, quotations in the
service itself, and the Biblical content of the sermon and hymns. The Word is
near, here, each week for you.
The Word is near
you. It has been in your mouths today, in your ears, and by the work and
pleasure of the Holy Spirit, could be in your heart as well, if you have not
closed yourself off to the Word. In John, Jesus says, “You did not choose Me,
but I chose you…” but Acts 7 makes clear that we can resist the Holy Spirit,
just what St. Stephen accused the leaders of Israel of doing. That’s why St.
Paul is still concerned for them in Romans 10.
The Word is near
you. Or, as the Old Testament lesson said it, the Christ would come to proclaim
the year (or time) of the Lord’s favor. That time is now. The message of grace
and mercy offered to you for your comfort is the same that sustained us and
Christians of generations past in their earthly lives, the same hope they had
of eternal life with her Lord.
"The word is
near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith
that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved.
For with the heart
one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is
saved. For the Scripture says,
"Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on
him. For "everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved."
The Lord brought you
to faith by water and the Word, sustains you by His forgiveness and Body and
Blood given and shed for you. And together, we call on the name of the Lord and
are saved according to the Lord’s own promise.
But how are they to
call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him
of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone
preaching? And how are they to preach
unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of
those who preach the good news!"
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord,
who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing
through the word of Christ.
Many today
do not believe in Christ as He presents Himself in the Holy Bible. Either they
have never heard of Him, have only heard of a so-called “Jesus” modified by
those who think they know better, or some who have abandoned Him after
believing at one time. How are all of those people going to believe, if they
never hear the message? How can they hear if Christians never tell them the
good news about Jesus, if they refuse to come to church? There is no such thing
as a solo Christian—one believer on his or her own apart from the body of
Christ, apart from the means of the Spirit. Faith comes from hearing, St. Paul
reminds us. And hearing through the Word of Christ. The Holy Spirit, third
person of the Holy Trinity uses the Word to bring people to faith, to call,
gather, enlighten, and sanctify each believer and the whole Christian Church on
earth.
Earlier,
verse nine said, “if you confess with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. “ In addition, this is also true: if you do
not confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and do not believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will not be saved. There is no other
Savior than Jesus. It is a hard truth. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean
it’s any less true.
Confess and Believe Christ. We are
all sinners. Christians are also declared to be saints, like all of those
forgiven in Christ. Lutherans don’t pray to saints. We thank God for giving
such faithful saints to the Church. Our faith is strengthened as we see the
mercy God extended to the saints who have gone before us. These saints are
examples that we might imitate both their faith and holy living according to
the vocations God has given each of us.
Of all of the vocations the Lord has
given you in this life, your primary vocation is that of Christian—a baptized
child of God, a forgiven sinner, hiding yourself in the Lord, your Rock of Ages
and Cleft through the storms of life. As we sing these words, we confessed and
believed Jesus:
Not the labors of my hands Can
fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears
forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply
to Thy cross I cling. Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for
grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on
Thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.
Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Sermon for 10 August 2016, Wednesday of Trinity XI
The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Luke 18: 9-17
A Life of Repentance and Faith
Wednesday of Trinity 11, 10 August 2016
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
For an Elder to Read
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by
himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I
fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13But the tax
collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but
beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself
will be exalted.”
A legendary Sunday School teacher many years ago told of the
Pharisee and the Publican (tax collector). When she was done, she asked the
children to pray with her: “God, we thank you that we are not like the
Pharisee…” (Pause)
Sometimes we can hear something over and over again and
still not get the point. We giggle at this Sunday School teacher’s story
because she did exactly what the Pharisee did, saying “God, I thank you that I
am not like…” That can be a temptation for us, especially for us Lutherans and
Christians.
Consider our October holiday, Reformation Day. Reformation
Sunday is not about Luther, nor is it about us. Nor is it about Lutherans being
better than every other kind of Christian. Primarily, we celebrate the Gospel,
the comfort that is the very forgiveness of sins, life, salvation,
reconciliation with the Father, and gift of heaven in Jesus Christ alone.
The Church in Martin Luther’s day had lost sight of the
Gospel. Sermons were not a guaranteed part of a church service, which was still
in Latin, a language the people and sometimes even the pastor did not
understand. Bibles were rare because they were copied by hand. And forgiveness
of sins was sold in the form of an indulgence. If one of those were included in
a Monopoly game board set, it could be called a “get out of purgatory free”
card (and forget the FREE part). Forgiveness was sold so a man could buy the
job of archbishop. The pope was ready to sell in order to raise funds to build
St. Peter’s in Rome.
Early on, Luther saw a problem with these practices because
he was reading the Bible. And then he did what every Christian and every pastor
should do: he compared what was going on to what the Word of God said. He saw a
gap between what was and what should be. He wanted a theological discussion to
close the gap between God’s doctrine and actual practice. That’s what nailing
those 95 Theses was all about. In his list of topics for discussion, Luther
called for repentance and a return to God’s Word.
In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable about two men going to the
temple. One trusted in the good person he was and the good he thought he did.
Don’t do that. The other man looked within himself and saw a gap between what
actually was and what God intended. He said, “God, be merciful to me, a
sinner!” So should we “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
The man who said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” understands
well what Luther rediscovered in the 1500’s. In fact, the very first of the 95
Theses says this: 1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent”
[Matthew 4:17], he willed
that the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. In every time and
every place, people are in need of repentance—even us!
9[Jesus] also told this parable to some who
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with
contempt: 10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee
and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself,
prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice
a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13But the tax collector,
standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his
breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you,
this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be
exalted.”
There’s more to this reading from Luke 18, but that is
enough to talk about for now. The word of the day is Repentance. Jesus calls
for a life of repentance from those who trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and treated others with contempt. Salvation in Christ is a gift. The
Lord also gifts you with repentance and faith. Repentance is the result of
looking at ourselves inside and comparing what we find to God’s Ten Commandments.
Talk about a gap between what is and what should be!
Faith receives gifts from the Lord. That’s what it does.
Faith says, “Amen!” Faith doesn’t talk about itself, but holds on to Jesus.
Repentant hearts do not exalt themselves over anybody, no
matter the color, language, gender, or behavior of any other person. Repentance
and humility go hand-in-hand. Repentance and hypocrisy cannot co-exist.
Repentance does not treat others with contempt. Repentance and respect are good
friends. The repentant respect each other and treat one another well. All are
in need of God’s grace. Repentance confesses sin and faith asks for grace, with
the desire to live differently and right any wrongs that may have been caused.
Faith does not say “No” to God. Faith is eager to receive
all of God’s good gifts. It is the Old Adam—not faith—that says, “I don’t want
to go to church today.” It is the Old Adam—not faith—that says, “I don’t want
to give to what the Lord considers important.” Faith does not boast in itself,
but in God. Faith boasts in Christ. Faith boasts in who Jesus is and what He
has done. And faith remembers that gifts are gifts. Faith holds onto the
promises of God. Now we are ready to listen to the last three words of our
sermon text.
15Now they were bringing even infants to him that
he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16But
Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not
hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17Truly, I say
to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not
enter it.”
Infants! The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Jesus
said so. Can’t argue with that, though some try to. No, infants cannot yet
exercise their God-given reason. No, they cannot speak much at all. This is a
reminder that reason and the ability to speak are not the same thing as
God-given repentance and faith. Jesus calls for childlike repentance and faith,
not childish thoughts, words, and deeds. Children can be selfish, self-centered,
and love to say, “No.” Sometimes we adults are more childish than children.
Jesus calls all of us to be childlike instead, with a trusting, simple faith
that holds on to Jesus. Faith brings children, even infants, to the font for
Holy Baptism. Faith brings the baptized to Church, Sunday School, Bible Class,
Vacation Bible School, and Catechism Instruction. Faith does not hinder the
growth of another, keeping young or old away from Jesus. Faith remembers that
gifts are gifts and holds on to all of the promises of God.
We see God’s faithfulness throughout all of salvation
history, from the promise of Genesis 3:15 through the Old Testament, the silent
time between the testaments, the earthly ministry of Jesus and His apostles,
and through all human history since.
The Church in Martin Luther’s day had lost sight of the
Gospel. May that never happen in this place, or to our church body. Lutherans
are not better than other Christians—we’re forgiven sinners, too. Yet, God’s
pure teaching has been preserved in our church in a way unlike any other. Thank
God for that. God grant to every Christian, pastor, and congregation an
enduring reformation that cherishes the Scriptures, the Gospel and Jesus
Himself, and to all Christians and all of us lives of repentance and faith. Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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