The Law Fulfilled, Not Abolished

    What does it mean that Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17)? What does that mean concerning the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law? To say Jesus fulfilled the Law, does this mean Jesus fulfilled the moral, ceremonial, and civil law? If we say Jesus fulfilled the Law, then what does it mean that He did not abolish the Law? Are we still under the Law: moral, ceremonial and civil? So if the Law has not been abolished but fulfilled, what does that mean concerning the three uses of the Law: as a curb, a mirror and especially as a rule or guide?
    First, let us define the terms moral, ceremonial and civil law. Simply stated, the civil law is “the body of law dealing with the rights of private citizens in a particular state or nation, as distinguished from criminal law, military law, or international law.”1 In other words, civil law is the law of the state.2 Here I believe we can settle the matter that Jesus fulfilled, that is He perfectly obeyed all the civil law (Thus, as citizens of the left-hand kingdom, the kingdom of this world, we are still under and must obey all civil laws, at least to the point where they may infringe on the right-hand kingdom and would otherwise cause us to disobey God’s Law.) When man’s law infringes on God’s Law, then most certainly we are to obey God’s Law rather than man’s law as the disciples so well noted: “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men’” (Acts 5:29).
          As for the moral and ceremonial law, they may be defined as,

2. Moral Law and ceremonial laws. The ceremonial laws of the OT have been abolished (Cl 2:16-17), but the Moral Law (see Decalog) is in force to the end of time (Mt 5:18). The Moral Law, however, determined by the law of love (Mt 22:35-40), must not simply be identified with the Decalog as given in the OT (Ex 20; Dt 5), since that contains ceremonial elements, meant only for the Jews (e.g., Dt 5:15). The “Ten Commandments” (Ex 34:28; Dt 4:13; 10:4) must direct our conduct inasmuch as they serve the principle of love (Ro 13:8) and are restated in the NT (Mt 19:18-19; Ro 13:19). The 3d Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” is omitted in the NT; this shows that emphasis no longer rests on the day, but on the sanctifying through the Word (LC I 78-102).3

Simply stated, the Moral Law is the Ten Commandments. The ceremonial laws are the laws regarding the sacrificial system of the Old Testament pointing to the fulfillment of the promise in the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
    Again, what does this mean that Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law? What do we hear from Jesus Himself? 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20). Jesus said He did not come to abolish (καταλύω) or invalidate the Law. Instead, Jesus came to fulfill (πληρόω) the Law, that is to continue to provide that real answer to the Law. He goes on to say whoever relaxes (λύω), that is fails to conform to the “one of the least of these commandments,” “will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Indeed, it is the Gospel that furnishes and presents humanity with the fulfillment the Law demands. The Gospel tells us Jesus lived as True Israel, in our place. He fulfilled God’s demand of perfection for us since we fall short of it. As Lutherans, we understand Scripture is rightly divided into Law and Gospel. The Law shows our sins. It tells us what we are and are not to do. The Law condemns. The Gospel shows our Savior. The Gospel moves us to repentance and faith.
    Again, Jesus says, 16“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. 17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void” (Luke 16:16-17). Here Jesus says the Law will not become void (πίπτω), that is it will not cease nor come to an end.
    So, what does it mean that Jesus did not come to abolish but to fulfill the Law? What does it mean that the Law is not to be relaxed and that it will not cease? Is Jesus speaking about the civil law or the Moral Law or the ceremonial law or all the Law? And what does it mean that a law is fulfilled and yet not abolished? Perhaps this last question is most important because, when we get to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mountain in Matthew 5, we hear Him as He reiterates the Moral Law of the Old Testament, yet in a new way as a fulfillment of the Law of Love. As you read through Jesus’ sermon, He touches on all the commandments of the Moral Law of the Decalogue, except the Third Commandment (Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy). Jesus covers the fulfillment of the Third Commandment at other times especially at times when He is challenged for healing on the Sabbath. He often explained in response to any activity on the Sabbath that the Sabbath was made for man not, man for the Sabbath. Thus, we may rightly understand His desire is that we observe a day of rest especially a day of rest wherein we are spiritually renewed through making use of His Word and Sacraments in the Divine Service.
           But there is more about the Law. Paul writing to the Romans says:

27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law (Romans 3:27-31).

Further Paul adds, “4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). And he writes, “8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
          To the Galatians Paul writes:

15We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 17But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose (Galatians 2:15-21).

    So, how do we understand Paul’s usage of the word “law”? Kittle explains Paul’s usage as such: 

Paul starts with the traditional sense whereby the law is the OT law, though his usage is not uniform. The Decalogue is the gist of the law (Rom. 13:8ff.), but nómos comprises other laws and it may be used for a single law (Rom. 7:2). The law demands action; one does it (Rom. 2:25). It represents God’s living will. Even those who do not know the law, but do it, are “the” law to themselves (not a law of their own choosing) (Rom. 2:12ff.). The law is the one revealed will of the one God. It can thus be personified (Rom. 3:19; 7:1). On occasion the nómos may be the Pentateuch (cf. Rom. 3:21; Gal. 4:21). A figurative use may also be seen, as when Paul refers to the law of faith (Rom. 3:27).4

It seems as though Paul does not make any distinction between moral, civil, or ceremonial law; however, I do not believe that to be the case.
    When we get to Hebrews, we will see there is a distinction between the moral, civil and ceremonial law. In Hebrews we read:

 1For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7Then I said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.”’ 8When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:1-10).

Here in Hebrews we have a marked distinction between the ceremonial, civil, and moral law. The ceremonial law pointed to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus fulfilled it completely. Jesus was born perfect. He fulfilled God’s demand of perfection (Matthew 5:48).
    Jesus lived in perfection, never sinning even once. Jesus identifies as us through the waters of Holy Baptism. Jesus took our sins and paid the price for our sins by suffering eternal death, hell, for us. Jesus died and defeated death by His resurrection. Thus, all the ceremonial laws reminding the sinner that the price for sin is death, that blood had to be shed, were completely fulfilled in Jesus. Indeed, although the animal sacrifices were a reminder that the price for sin is the shedding of blood and death and for forgiveness they were not a human sacrifice. The price for sin is the death of the sinner. The animal sacrifices were a reminder (Hebrews 10:4) and pointed to the one ultimate sacrifice of Christ, true man, once for all.
    Moses writes as God commanded him, “4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). In Matthew, Mark, and Luke we hear Jesus echoing these words in response to the question of what is the greatest commandment? “37And [Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:37-40). “29Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” 31The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these’” (Mark 12:29-31). “26[Jesus] said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ 27And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:26-27).
    In Confirmation we are taught that the summary of the commandments is love, namely the Greek understanding of agape love, that is a selfless concern for another person. Love is the fulfillment of the Law because Jesus is Love and Jesus fulfilled the Law completely. Indeed, as we understand, if we could love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, and mind, we would be able to keep all the Law. If a person could love his neighbor as himself, he would not sin against his neighbor. Our problem is that we are conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5). Every inclination of our hearts is evil all the time (Genesis 6:5, 8:21). No one does good, no not one (Romans 3, 10, 12). Our will has been tainted by sin, so we are unable to love as God would have us to love.
    In his writings on the Sermon on the Mount, Luther makes the following assessment:

        He is not denying that they are God’s people and that they have the Law, the fathers, and the prophets. Nor are we condemning or denying that under the pope there were Christians or Baptism or the Gospel, but we are saying: “What we have is the right Baptism and Gospel.” We protest against having to accept and approve the way they smear it all up, the way they interpret and distort it by defiling the pure doctrine with the foul and wormy, yes, the demonic addition of their cowls, tonsures, indulgences, purgatory, and sacrificial masses. This is where we set to work with our salting, to get rid of this stench and to fumigate it. So it is clear that the very dissolvers and destroyers of Law and Scripture decorate themselves with lovely titles like “Scripture” or “Gospel” or “Christian Church” and that under this pretext they have imported their maggots and corrupted everything and made it useless. And then they yell at us for attacking the Christian Church, the holy fathers, and good works!

        Now He says: “I have come not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it.” That is: “I do not intend to bring another law or a new law, but to take the very Scriptures which you have and to emphasize them, dealing with them in such a way as to teach you how to behave.” What the Gospel or the preaching of Christ brings is not a new doctrine to undo or change the Law, but, as St. Paul says (Rom. 1:2), the very same thing that was “promised beforehand through the prophets in the Scripture.” From our opponents, therefore, we accept the very same Scriptures, Baptism, and Sacrament that they have; and we do not intend to propose something new or better. All we are doing is insisting upon their proper preaching and administration and upon the elimination of anything that does not harmonize with them.

        St. Augustine interprets the word “fulfill” in a twofold manner. According to him, “fulfilling the Law” means, first, “supplementing its deficiencies” and, second, “carrying out its content in works and in life.” But the first interpretation is mistaken. All by itself, the Law is so rich and perfect that no one need to add anything to it; for the apostles themselves had to prove the Gospel and the proclamation about Christ on the basis of the Old Testament. Therefore no one, not even Christ Himself, can improve upon the Law. What can you make up or teach that is higher than what the First Commandment teaches (Deut. 6:5): “You shall love God with all your heart”? He does indeed go beyond Law and doctrine when He gives His grace and Spirit to enable us to do and keep the Law’s demands, but that is not “supplementing” the Law. And so He is not talking about that here, but about that fulfilling which takes place through teaching; similarly, by “abolishing” He does not mean acting contrary to the Law, but teaching in such a way as to subtract from it.5

    All this does not mean we can do away with the Law. We are not antinomian to say the least. We retain the Law as a reminder because if we did not have the Law, we would not know we would be sinners. If we did not know of our sin, we would not know of our need to repent, and if we did not repent, we would remain in our sin and be eternally condemned (Romans 7:7). At the same time, we know the Law does not move one to repentance. The Law by itself will lead one either to despair, believing there is no forgiveness and no salvation, or to works righteousness, believing one may in fact be able to do what the Law demands. The purpose of the Law is to show our sin. It is the work of the Gospel to lead one to repentance. It is the fact my sins have already been forgiven which moves me to confess those sins so that I might be given that forgiveness which has already been won for me on the cross by Christ. Thus, both Law and Gospel are necessary and must be preached, the Law in all its sternness and the Gospel in all its sweetness.
    What does this mean? Certainly we understand we are all subject to the civil law, the law of the land, the law that keeps peace. We are to abide by those laws which govern our daily travels including speed limits and stop signs. Not to obey such laws would lead to accidents, fines, and imprisonment. We are to abide by those laws which govern our lives in relationship with others including those what are rooted in the Ten Commandments, such as not stealing from our neighbor, not murdering, hurting nor harming our neighbor. To break such laws also leads to fines, prison and even the death penalty.
    But what about the Moral Law, the Ten Commandments? Are we still under the Ten Commandments? Jesus fulfilled the Moral Law. He kept the Ten Commandments perfectly for us in our place because we cannot. Does that mean we are no longer bound to abide by the Ten Commandments? Perhaps the answer to that question might best be “Yes” and “No.” As we know, as we stated, much of our civil law has its foundation in the Ten Commandments, such as not stealing or killing. We are under obligation to obey those commands. Yet, even if we should surmise that because Jesus fulfilled the Ten Commandments for us in our place, we still have to contend with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (or Hill) from Matthew 5 in which He proclaims to us the Ten Commandments in, shall we say, a new, fuller and loving way. Jesus speaks of our righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees warning us not only to not murder but also to not be angry with our brother (Matthew 5:21-22). He warns us that we commit adultery not simply by an act but also by looking lustfully (the eye causing one to sin) (Matthew 5:27-29). He warns against swearing false oaths (Matthew 5:33-36) and against revenge (Matthew 5:38-42). He speaks of loving our neighbor and our enemy (Matthew 5:43-47) and ultimately of being perfect which we know is completely beyond our capability. What Jesus gives us in His sermon is the Moral Law, but not as the Ten Commandments.
    Again, what does this mean? Jesus fulfilling the Law and not abolishing the Law means we are no longer under the curse of the Law. We are not expected to fulfill what Jesus has already fulfilled. Although God’s demand continues to be perfection, Jesus was perfect for us in our place. Just because the Law has been fulfilled and perfectly kept by Jesus does not abolish the Law because there are those who are outside the faith who continue to be under the Law and will be under the Law until such time that the Holy Spirit works faith in their heart so they know they cannot be saved by their obedience to the Law.
    As Christians, because the Lord loves us, because Jesus lived for us, took our sins, suffered, died, and rose for us, gives us faith, forgiveness and life, our desire as a response of faith is to live lives of obedience. Our desire is to live lives as priests in the priesthood of all believers. Our desire is to serve God by serving others. Our desire is to be living sacrifices for the Lord, imperfectly as we may. This active obedience is what we call the third use of the Law. It is a rule or guide for our lives. The Law is for our Sanctification, and this Sanctification is a result of our Justification.
    Certainly, as Lutherans who believe we are justified by God’s grace through faith apart from works of the Law, we understand we are made just and right in God’s eyes by God Himself. This justification is an accomplished act done for us and coming to us from outside of us. It is God who justifies. As was stated earlier, our nature is that we are conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5). Every inclination of our hearts is evil all the time (Genesis 6:5; 7:21). No one does good, no not one (Romans 3:10,12). Our will has been tainted by sin, so we are unable to be the people God would have us to be. Our nature is that, in and of ourselves, we cannot accept Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:13). We can only reject Him (Romans 7:16-20). Because we are conceived and born in sin, we are spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and enemies of God. Just as a person cannot choose to be born so, we cannot choose to be born again. Just as a drowning person or a dead person cannot save himself or herself, so we cannot save ourselves. Any salvation must come from outside of us. It must come from someone who is sinless and alive.
    Jesus is God in flesh, truly human, truly Divine. Jesus had to be God in order to be born in perfection. He had to be human in order to be our substitute. As God, although He was born in perfection, He set aside full use of His divine attributes. He lived a perfect life. He obeyed all of God’s laws perfectly never disobeying even one. He fulfilled God’s demand of perfection. Yet, in fulfilling God’s demand of perfection, He did not abolish God’s demand. Indeed, God’s demand continues to be that we are perfect. By faith in Jesus which comes from outside of us, given to us by Him through His Word, which does and gives what it says, or through the water and His Name in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, His life becomes our life as He substitutes Himself for us giving us His righteousness and taking our sin. Thus, when we stand before God, He no longer sees us as sinners but as His righteous children. Therefore, through the justifying work of Jesus living perfectly for us in our place and paying the price for our sins, we stand before God in perfection fulfilling His demand. This justification, this fulfillment is an accomplished fact. It is done for us and given to us from outside of us and declared to us by the authority of the Word of God.
    Now that we have been justified before God, we strive to live lives of faith, lives worthy, if you will, of the gifts God has given, and this living of life is what we call sanctification. When it comes to our sanctification, we also understand we get it right when we point to the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who works the good works God has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10) in and through us which is our life of obedience, third use of the Law talk. It is also this obedience talk which has us cautious because we never want to give the impression that our obedience comes from us nor is accounted as anything for our justification.
    Jesus has fulfilled the Law completely for us in our place, but He has not abolished the Law. While it is most apparent that the Law remains because there are those who remain outside the faith, the Law is necessary for Christians as well. The purpose of the Law is to show our sins. As Christians this side of heaven we continue to be sinner/saints; thus, we need the Law not only as a guide (third use of the Law) but also as a curb and a mirror. For if we did not know we are sinners, we would not know to repent. If we did not repent, our sin would remain on us (1 John 1:8,9) and we would be eternally condemned. If we as Christians still need the Law, then we might rightly surmise the Law is especially needed for those outside the faith. For those outside of the faith the Law is especially needed because apart from Jesus they remain eternally lost. Those outside the faith have no understanding of sin, repentance and forgiveness. Those outside the faith have no part in Jesus, in His life, nor in His perfection; thus, they stand before God in their sin which is condemnation; thus, they need to hear the Law so they can know what is sin. They also then need to hear the Gospel which is what motivates repentance and forgiveness. To hear the Law without the Gospel may lead either to despair, thinking there is no use or salvation, or to works righteousness, thinking one might actually be able to keep the Law and thus justify themselves.
    Again, the Law must continue to be preached to Christians lest we fall into believing we are no longer sinners and no longer sin. Indeed, the life of the sinner is a life of repentance and forgiveness. The Law continually points us to our sin and our need to repent so that we are forgiven, and with forgiveness is life and salvation. Therefore, Christians who continue in their faith life stand before God clothed in Jesus’ robes of righteousness, perfect and holy being seen by God as having fulfilled the Law; thus, no longer being under the Law.
    Unfortunately, the way this pans out in our modern American society and faith life is similar to what Luther was speaking about to Rome in his day. There are those of American Evangelicalism, as it may be called, who believe the Gospel which they define simply as the death and resurrection of Jesus. They believe this Gospel is what is to be proclaimed to unbelievers calling them to repent and make a decision for Jesus. After one makes a decision for Jesus, then they are to live a life of obedience, of servitude to the Law of God. This understanding is a confusion of Law and Gospel, of Justification and Sanctification, and neuters the very Word of God which comes from outside a person affecting faith, forgiveness and life. Thus, the American Evangelical will believe his or her faith is something which must come from inside themselves either through some emotional feeling or sense of God speaking to them. Then he or she is to act on that sensation and be obedient to God, thus, fulfilling the Law. Notice how it is backwards. He or she is saved by his or her own action, and then he or she must do something in order to have assurance of his or her own salvation. In essence what is believed is that one must fulfill the law of God in order to be saved. And the Word of God then is simply a guide to help one fulfill the Law, nothing more, nothing less.
    As Lutheran Christians we believe the authority and power of the external Word of God, the external Word of God which does what it says and gives the gifts it says it gives. We believe God’s Word and the Word of Jesus Who completely fulfilled all the Words, Laws, demands, and promises of God and Who gives that fulfillment to us so that the Law is no longer demanding. Rather, our desire as children of God is to strive, with only the help and by the power of the Holy Spirit working lives of faith in and through us. We desire to live as priests in the priesthood of all believers, being living sacrifices in our vocations, and serving God by serving others. We are no longer under the Law. but we willingly obey the Law as a response of faith as God works good works in and through us. Again, we always get it right when we point to Jesus.
    Thus, it is most certainly true that Christ has fulfilled the Law and not abolished it. He has completely and utterly fulfilled all the demands of the Law, and He freely gives us His fulfilled life so that we are no longer under the demands of the Law. He has not abolished the Law because the Law continues to serve the purpose of pointing out sin so that the Gospel of sins forgiven might move all to repent and be given forgiveness. Thanks be to God and to Him be the glory.

1 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, ©1969, p. 246. 

2 For our purposes we are not making any distinction between civil law as in the law between citizens and criminal law as in the law between citizens and the state.

3 Lutheran Cyclopedia, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO, ©1954, p. 344

4 Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 652). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans. 

5  Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 21: The Sermon on the Mount and the Magnificat. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 21, pp. 68–69). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

 

 

I Have Come to Fulfill the Law - February 8, 2026 - Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - Text: Matthew 5:13-20

Our text for this morning is the next a part of Jesus’ sermon on the mountain. Last week, last Sunday we heard the beginning of Jesus’ sermon on the mountain and the “Beatitudes.” This week we continue listening to Jesus’ message to those who gathered around to hear Him speak. This week we get two “snippets” or “sound bites” from His sermon, one talking about salt and light and the other about the fulfillment of the Law.
 

First, Jesus talks about our being the salt of the earth and about our being lights of the world. We begin at verse thirteen, “13You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (v. 13-16). In verse thirteen Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth.” And He asks the rhetorical question, “But if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” Our first thought might be that if salt loses its saltiness then it becomes tasteless and worthless. However, our second thought might be to come to the conclusion that salt does not lose its taste because the only way for salt to lose its taste is to no longer be salt and that is Jesus’ point. Jesus is talking about the Gospel and the fact that the Gospel does not lose its taste or affect. Jesus is reminding the people and us that the Gospel is God’s indestructible gift to His people in Christ. The only way we would lose our saltiness, the only way we can lose the Gospel, is if we would lose our faith altogether and are no longer Christians.
 

Jesus then moves on to elaborate on this point by comparing our faith to that of a shining light. By our simply wearing the name “Christian,” that is, by others knowing that we are Christians, we bear witness of what it means to be a Christian. We bear witness by our actions, our thoughts and our words of what Jesus means to us. Which means that we either make a good witness or we make a not so good witness. Either way, we do make a witness to others of what it means to us that we belong to Christ. It is a natural thing, just like salt being naturally salty, otherwise it is no salt at all. We as Christians act like Christians, otherwise are we really Christians at all? Remember the question we asked last week, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove it?”
 

Finally, Jesus exhorts us to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The thing about our good works is that they are good works because they are worked in and through us by God. I would suggest that because our good works do not originate with us, it is very rare that we even recognize when we do a good work, at least what is a good work in God’s eyes. So, again our good works are good works because they are done to praise our Father in heaven. To use a different analogy, I believe that Jesus is telling us what is a natural cause and effect. It is much like the sun and the moon. The moon has no light of its own, it merely reflects the light of the sun, so when we see moonlight, it is sunlight that we are really seeing. So, if there is no sun shining on the moon, then there is no moonlight. God is like the sun and we are like the moon. We have no love of our own, within ourselves. When God shines His love in our hearts, we reflect that love to others. When we have no love to reflect to others it shows that we have rejected God’s love and have kept God out of our hearts.
 

Which brings us to the second part of this text, the part that reminds us of the importance of God’s Word, its efficacy and its unchangeableness. Picking up at verse seventeen, “17Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (v. 17-19). In verse seventeen we are reminded that we worship an unchanging God. Jesus came to fulfill all the Old Testament, He did not come to change it or to abolish it. Jesus did not come to change or do away with the Ten Commandments, He came to fulfill them. He did not come to change or do away with the tithe, He came to fulfill it. He did not come to change or do away with any part of the Old Testament, rather He came to fulfill the whole Old Testament.
 

Jesus’ words to us this morning remind us that none of Scripture has been changed or abolished. It is still all God’s Word. It is still God’s gift to us. All of scripture is valid for us today. I think we need these words of reminder as we defend our faith against those individuals and denominations who vote on the truth and validity of God’s Word or of certain portions of God’s Word. It is becoming more and more difficult in our so called “tolerant” society to proclaim faith in a God who is intolerant of sin. It just does not make for good publicity. So what happens? People, individuals, and denominations begin to vote out the old, intolerant Word of God and vote in an new, user friendly God. If you do not like the Word of God, change it. Today we want to stay away from talking about the real needs of the people, sin and forgiveness, instead we want talk about their felt needs, how I can keep from feeling guilty about what I have been doing and what I am about to do without having to compromise doing what “comes natural.”
 

Of course, we may ask how can anyone do that, but it is really quite simple, instead of believing that the Bible is the Word of God, we will say that it contains that Word of God. Or we will say that some parts of the Bible are culturally or timely, period-ly, valid. In other words, we place ourselves over the Word of God as the authority and in essence we become our own gods, judging God’s Word and instead of allowing God’s Word to mean what it says, we say it means this or that, in other words, we make ourselves our own little gods determining what is God’s Word and what is not God’s Word. What happens is there are no longer any absolutes and truly, no longer a Word of God.
 

Jesus teaches us that to teach that some of Scripture is not of value is to be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Unfortunately, in our world today such a person who speaks against Scripture might be thought of as being a great thinker or as being innovative, but not so in God’s kingdom. As I read and reread these words of Jesus, I am reminded of the importance of the Word of God. It is the Word of God which is one means that He uses through which He gives us His good gifts and blessings; faith, strengthening of faith, forgiveness of sins, life in this world, eternal life and salvation. It is the Word of God which is His Word, which is an absolute, which is what permeates our time together in Divine Service. I will be the first to admit that my sermon is not the most important part of our divine service. Rather, it is the readings, the liturgy, confession and absolution, being reminded of our baptism, the Lord’s Supper, those parts of our service which are the means of grace are the most important parts of our Divine Service, because it is through His means of grace, His Word and Sacraments and confession and absolution that God gives us His good gifts and blessings. My sermon is only as effective as the Word which it proclaims.
 

Which brings us to the last verse of our text, the one that reminds us that there are two ways to get to heaven. Verse twenty, “20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (v. 20). One way to get to heaven is by being perfect, that is by our own good works being perfect, which means that because of the sin that is born in us, we would be doomed from the start if we tried to be saved by our own good works. Which leaves the only other way of salvation which is God’s free grace and favor. The example that Jesus gives is that of the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. Their righteousness was great in that they followed the letter of the law. However, theirs was a civil righteousness, not God’s righteousness. And their righteousness did not save them.
 

If we were to try to be saved by our own righteousness, we would be doomed as they, yet, Jesus reminds us that our righteousness does surpasses theirs, not because we are so good, but because of our faith in Him. By faith in Jesus, faith which He gives to us, God’s righteousness is made our righteousness.
 

Again, God’s righteousness is made ours by faith in Jesus. Thus, it is God’s righteousness that works in us so that we do the good works which He has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10). And they are truly good works because they are motivated by Him, done in and through us by Him, and done to His glory. And truly, these are the good works that more often than not we are not aware that we are doing.
 

To sum up this morning, I would simply redirect you to God’s Word. Just as Jesus spoke personally to the people of His day, so He speaks just as personally to you and me today through His Word. With that in mind then we are reminded by Jesus that the Old Testament is needed and is valid today.
 

We are reminded by Jesus that the Bible, all of the Bible is God’s gift to us, is needed by us, and is applicable to us, today, in total. We are reminded by Jesus that His Word and His Sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, as well as confession and absolution, are the means that He uses to give us all His good gifts and blessings, which reminds us of the importance of making regular and diligent use of these means.
 

And we are reminded by Jesus and from God’s Holy Word that His righteousness is made ours by faith, is worked in us so that we are the salt of the world, that our lights do shine before all the world to see, that we do live our lives according to all of God’s Word, because He moves in us to do so.
 

Jesus’ message to us today is a message of a super-natural occurrence. Jesus gives us life at conception. He gives us new life through His Word and Holy Baptism. He gives us strengthening of life and faith through His Word and the Lord’s Supper. He gives us forgiveness of sins and eternal life through confession and absolution. And He gives us the ability and stirs in us to respond to all His good gifts and blessings so that we might live our lives in such a ways that they say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

What a Wonder, We Get What We Do Not Deserve - February 1, 2026 - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - Text: Matthew 5:1-12

We live in a nice house; it is not too big, but it is big enough. It keeps us out of the weather; cool in the summer, warm in the winter, dry during the rain. We have nice clothes to wear, perhaps some may think my wardrobe is not in fashion, but I do have enough clothes to wear to keep me warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We have enough food to eat and really, more than enough to eat. We have a car to drive; it might not be the latest or fanciest model, but it gets us where we are going. We have a computer, a telephone, a television set with a DVD player. We have all that we need and really, we have much more than we need. We even have a lot of things we simply want. All in all, I would say we are blessed. Perhaps I might even go so far as to suggest that one of God’s wonders to which I am able to witness is the fact that He has been so good to me and my family. But what if I did not have all these nice things in life? What if I had in mind that what I have is not enough? What if my mind was of such that I thought I needed to “keep up with the Joneses (No offense to the Jones)?” Would I still feel as blessed? In our text for today we are introduced to what it means to be blessed, not necessarily blessed as I have just described, but to be truly blessed, something that, too often, I believe we miss.
 

Before we talk about what it means to be truly blessed, we should spend some time talking about what we deserve. Now, most of us probably think pretty highly of ourselves. We think we deserve the job we have or maybe we think we deserve the next position up the old corporate ladder. Perhaps we think we deserve a raise. Maybe we think we deserve a larger house, a fancier car, nicer clothes and the like. We are good people we rationalize. We are law abiding citizens. We attend church and sometimes give of our time as well as our talents and some of our treasures. We are Christians after all. Perhaps in our own minds we think we deserve to be blessed, in other words, that we deserve to be blessed with all the things we have mentioned earlier.
 

In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus, preaching to the crowd, says that those who deserve to be blessed are those who are “poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” those who “are the meek,” “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” “the merciful,” “the pure in heart,” “the peacemakers,” “those who are persecuted,” and those who “when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me,” stand firm in their faith. As we hear these words, perhaps we are thinking, “Yes, that often describes me.” So, yes, we believe we deserve to be blessed.
 

Maybe we need to have another look at those to whom Jesus says are blessed. Are we really “poor in spirit,” and do we “mourn?” Are we among the “meek,” and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness?” Are we “merciful,” “pure in heart,” “peacemakers,” “persecuted,” “insulted,” and so forth? We just said that we are pretty well off and pretty blessed. And we also just acknowledged that sometimes we believe we are deserving of more. Oh, but “Pastor,” you say, “that is not what we mean. We are talking about two different things.” Are we?
 

Do we acknowledge our constant need to, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Word of the Lord? Or do we just hear it on Sunday mornings or every other Sunday morning when we do not have something more important to do than be in divine service? Do we mourn at our spiritual weaknesses, our constant breaking of the commandments and sinning? Do we humbly acknowledge our doubts, our moments of unbelief and our moments of despair during times of trials? And do we hunger and thirst after wanting to be “right” with God? Maybe you have heard the old adage, “Actions speak louder than words.” Our actions betray us. Our poor devotional life, our poor attendance at divine service, our poor attendance at Bible Class. Our lording it over others, often times thinking more highly of ourselves because we are members of this church. Perhaps we are not as deserving as we would like to think.
 

Are we merciful? Do we give others the benefit of the doubt? Do we always put the best construction on everything and explain everything in the kindest way? Do we always, first, think the best in any given situation, or do we like to hear the “dirt?” Do we seek forgiveness and peace or are we among those who are persecuting and ridiculing others for their faith, or their lack of faith? Do we rationalize that it does not matter what you believe as long as you are sincere in your belief and so we stay away from confronting our neighbor, our friend, and even our family member concerning their lack of faith or their being involved in some non-Christian organization, cult or sect? Again, what do our actions say? Perhaps we are like the young man who spent his summer between college years at the roughest, toughest, meanest lumberjack camp in all of North America. His friends from church all wondered how he would make it, being a Christian and all. Would they mock him and belittle him? Would they beat him up? Would he make it till the end of the summer? When, at the end of the summer, he came home, and before he headed back to college, he was asked how he had faired, if he was teased because he was a Christian. His answer was, “No, they never found out.” Again, perhaps we are not as deserving as we would like to think. Maybe you have heard the question, “If we were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Again, perhaps we are not as deserving as we would like to think.
 

So, of what are we deserving? In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). What Paul means is that the cost or the price for our sins, what our sins have earned, is death. And not just any old death, but eternal death, death in hell in other words. When we take these words of Jesus and match them up against the Ten Commandments and then look in the mirror, what we see is that what we are deserving is not to be blessed, but to be cursed, even to be damned.
 

The words of our text are words which Jesus is speaking. He is the one who makes them Law words, which they are when we do not do them, and He is the one who makes them Gospel words, which they are when He works these things in us. Jesus is the one who came to do for us what we are unable to do. He came as an example for us, but more than an example. To say that Jesus is just an example would lead us to despair, because, in and of ourselves, we would never be able to follow His example. We can never be perfect. Jesus came as an example, but even more, He came to fulfill His example. Yes, Jesus showed us how to live. He lived the way we are supposed to live. He lived perfectly, but He did not live that way just for Himself. He lived perfectly for us, for you and for me. Even more, now He sends the Holy Spirit to work in us so that we might live in the way that He would have us to live.
 

Jesus is God in human flesh for all people. The very word “epiphany” means appearance. That we celebrate the epiphany of Jesus means that we celebrate His appearing to humankind, the Magi in particular. It also means that we celebrate the appearing of God in human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus is God who came to do for us what we are unable to do. He came to live perfectly for us in our place. Remember, perfection is what is expected of us and that is what is ultimately demanded of us, that is that we are perfect. Jesus came as one of us, so that He could live for us. He was the one who was “poor in spirit,” “who mourn[ed],” who was “meek,” “who hunger[ed] and thirst[ed] for righteousness,” who was “merciful”, “pure in heart,” a “peacemaker,” “who [was] persecuted,” and who stood firm to the end.
 

Jesus is the one who paid our tab. He paid the price, that is the cost, the wage, that our sins earned. He paid the eternal death penalty of hell. He paid the eternal death penalty of hell by His suffering and death on the cross, suffering and death which should have been ours, but that, because of His great love for us, He willingly suffered for us. Not only did He pay the price, the penalty for our sins, but now, when He stands before the Father in heaven He acknowledges His love for us, He says, “She, He, is one of mine.”
 

When our last hour on this earth comes, whether that is at our own death or at the Lord’s return, we will stand before the Lord’s throne to be judge. We will not be judged according to our earthly accumulations. The bumper sticker is not true, “The one with the most toys wins.” When we stand before the Lord’s throne the devil will be there accusing us and claiming us as one of his. He will outline how we have not been any of what we think we have, we have not been “poor in spirit,” “mourn[ing],” “meek,” “hunger[ing] and thirst[ing] for righteousness,” “merciful”, “pure in heart,” “peacemakers,” “persecuted,” and “insult[ed],” “falsely [had] all kinds of evil [said] against [us] you because of me,” nor have we stood firm in our faith. And the judgement against us will be guilty. The sentence will be eternal death in hell. But wait. Our defense approaches the bench. After a few minutes the judge hands down His decision. Life, eternal life in heaven. You see, our defense is Jesus and what He tells the judge is that He loves us and that He has given His life for ours. He has paid our way into His eternal home.
 

No, we are not deserving of any of the blessings of which we receive. They are given to us as gifts from God. Yes, even when we fail to acknowledge them as such, the Lord continues to pour out His blessings on us. As we look at these “beatitudes” as we call them, one commentator put it this way, “The divine passives indicate that we do nothing to gain these rewards, they are all pure gift.” In other words, the way Jesus tells it, we do nothing to gain these blessings, He simple gives them to us because of His great love for us. Which reminds me, I neglected to tell you, the “Beatitudes” are framed in verse 3 and 10 with the words, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What we are given, these gifts of God, are indeed the wonders of God’s blessings. They are the greatest gifts of all. These are not gifts and blessings which fade and rot with time. No, these are eternal blessings, blessings of a life in heaven with Jesus.
 

Yes, we are blessed. We are blessed beyond what we might think or imagine. We are blessed with all that we need and more; we have even more than we might want. And more, we are blessed again and again, each and every day with the blessing of all of God’s grace, forgiveness, life and salvation. We are blessed beyond what we deserve. It is all gift. And we are left simply to stand in awe of what a great and wonderful God we have. We are left to stand in awe of His wonders. We are left to cry out with thanks and praise to our great and awesome God. To Him be the glory. Amen.

“Come, Follow Me,” Jesus Said - January 25, 2026 - Third Sunday after the Epiphany - Text: Matthew 4:12-25

Today we pick up in the Gospel of Matthew where we are privileged to have Matthew show us more prophecy fulfilled. Remember, one of Matthew’s goals is to show us that Jesus is the promised Messiah and he does that by his constant reminder that what Jesus is doing is done to fulfill what the prophets have said the Messiah would do. If you were listening close to the readings of the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel lesson you may have noticed that parts of them sounded the same. Both lessons point out that “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” If we took the time to sit down and think about it, and if we did not know what we were reading, if we did not know when it was written, we might imagine that these words were spoken to us today. How much more pointed can Isaiah’s words be, especially as we live in a world in which our own country is at war against terrorism and we have military troops stationed throughout the world for our protection. Even more, daily we are told of events of robbery, murder, abortion, adultery, fornication, and all other forms of evil which are rampant in our own country and world today. We are living in the land of the shadow of death, physical death and apart from faith in Jesus, eternal death. We would be in despair if it were not for the good news coming from the Gospel words from our text, “on us a light has dawned.” That light that has dawned we know is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and with Him we have forgiveness. I said, one of Matthew’s goals is to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. I believe a second goal and really a goal for us today is that we take Jesus seriously, and yes, all that it means to take Him seriously.
 

As we move into our text for today we begin with Matthew’s persistence of showing us more prophecy being fulfilled. We begin with verse twelve, “12Now when [Jesus] heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned’” (v. 12-16).
 

Matthew begins by explaining Jesus’ move, from Nazareth to Capernaum, by telling us that it happened after John had been put into prison. At this point the ministry of John the Baptist comes to an end and the ministry of Christ Jesus is shifted into high gear. Jesus’ move was because of John’s imprisonment, but it was also a move to make it better for Him to be able to reach more people. Jesus moved to Capernaum because it was on the trade route on the Sea of Galilee, in other words a lot of people from around the world came through this place, thus, this place was a prime place for teaching, preaching and healing. This place was a prime place for reaching many people with the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven was near.
 

Jesus’ move to Capernaum was not just so that He could reach more people, it was also a move to fulfill today’s Old Testament lesson from Isaiah, “1But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (9:1-2)
 

Jesus’ move was a move to call the people out of the darkness of sin, death and the power of the devil. Jesus came to usher in the kingdom of God and so He came as a Light for the kingdom of God. Jesus came to usher in the kingdom of God and to call us out of our darkness of sin, death and the power of the devil.
 

At first we might not think much of this one person, Jesus, as being able to do much, much less than be a light for the world, however, one light can do a lot. If you have ever been in a cave where there is no light and turned out all the lights, it is very dark. Yet, if you light one little match, it lights up a lot. And here we are talking about Jesus, God in flesh, who is able to do more than we might think or imagine. Yet, at this time He is merely working to usher in the kingdom of Heaven.
 

Continuing on in our text, Matthew shifts to the calling of the disciples. Matthew tells us that Jesus called the first four disciples to make them apostles. We pick up reading at verse eighteen, “18While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” (v. 18-22).
 

Last week the Gospel reading told the account of how Andrew had been hanging around Jesus to see if He was the Christ, the Messiah and after doing so he was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. The first thing Andrew did was to tell his brother Simon Peter that they had found the Messiah. The natural order then is what happens in our text, Jesus comes to call Simon, known as Peter and his brother Andrew to be His very close disciples, and to give them a special call as His apostles. Jesus tells them, “I will make you fishers of men.” These are words to which these two fisherman could readily relate. They knew about catching fish, now Jesus would teach them how to “catch” people for the kingdom of God. And if you are wondering, the difference between a disciple and an apostle is this, anyone who is a believer and follower of Jesus, who is learning from and about Jesus is a disciple. You and I are disciples of Jesus. Yet, Jesus specifically chose and set apart twelve to be apostles, those who were with Jesus and who were sent for a specific purpose.
 

Jesus also calls James and John, the sons of Zebedee. These two brothers were business partners in the fishing industry with Peter and Andrew. They, too, knew the fishing business quite well and now Jesus would teach them how to “catch” people for the kingdom of God. Now Jesus would make them His apostles as well.
 

You may have noticed that I skipped verse seventeen earlier because this verse and the last verses of our text give us insight into Jesus’ preaching. Verse seventeen and twenty-three to the end of our text read, “17From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (v. 17). “23And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan” (v. 22-24).
 

Jesus began to preach, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus’ words were very similar to the words of John the Baptist, who you might recall, also preached, “repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus preached the word of which He was the fulfillment. The kingdom of heaven was near, it was right there being ushered in by Jesus Himself. Jesus preached the word, “repent” which literally  means to change one’s mind. To repent meant for a person to change their mind about sinning, to turn one hundred-eighty degrees in the opposite direction of sinning, to turn from living in the darkness of sin, in the land of the shadow of death and to move to living in the light in the kingdom of heaven.
 

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching, preaching, and healing. He took the good news to the people. He did not wait for them to come looking for Him. Although, as the people began hearing Jesus’ Word, seeing the miracles He performed, being fed by Him, and so on, they began to flock after Him so much that He had little or no time to Himself. And after the Jewish leaders heard Him, they threw Him out of their synagogues so He had to do His preaching, teaching and healing out in the countryside.
 

Interestingly enough, Jesus continued to show Himself to be the Christ, by His teaching, preaching and healing. It is the Gospel writer, John, who persists in showing us that Jesus is the Christ by the signs and miracles He performed. Here Matthew, without using the words, “These things were done to fulfill what was said through the prophet,” shows us that Jesus is the Christ, by His teaching, preaching, and healing.
 

As we move further into the twenty-first century, four weeks already here into 2026, we are reminded by Matthew, that Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God. This means that we are now living in the kingdom of God. Even so, while we are living on this earth we continue to face the temptations of the devil, the world and our own sinful flesh. We continue to face the temptation to be about our business in this world as if this world is all we have, forgetting about our life in heaven, literally not taking Jesus seriously.
 

Thus today, Jesus continues to call us to repentance. He calls on us to repent of neglecting His Word and Sacraments, and lest we think that these words do not apply to us who are here today, we need to remember that even at our best we are still not perfect. Jesus calls us to repent of neglecting to help and befriend, to speak well of and stand up for, to put the best construction on everything. He calls us to repent for neglecting to speak out and stand up against the sins of this world. He calls us to repent of being tolerant of sin. He calls us to repent for the many times we have gone along with the thoughts of this world, that I am not my brothers keeper and that what a person does is no one’s business but their own.
 

Jesus calls us to follow Him. He calls us to go against the ways of this world, to follow Him in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. He calls us to believe in Him, to strengthen our faith  in Him through making regular, every day and every Sunday, and diligent use of the means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments. He calls on us to remain faithful to Him, through all of life. And not only does He call on us to follow Him, He moves in us to answer His call.
 

Jesus comes to us in our world today to bring healing. He comes in our world to rescue us from sin, death and the devil. Of course, all this He has already accomplished through His own life, suffering, death on the cross, but He comes to us to make His achievements ours. He comes to make His life our life and His death our death. He comes to make His resurrection our resurrection. He comes to make His work on the cross our own personal salvation. He comes to give to us personally the gifts that He has to give, the gifts of faith, strengthening of faith, forgiveness, life and salvation.
 

Jesus gives us His gifts through the means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments. He comes to us through these means, which means that apart from these means there is no being given His gifts. That is why it is so important that we make regular and diligent use of the means of grace, so that we may be given the gifts that Jesus has to give to us.
 

Jesus was born into this world to shine through the darkness of sin, death and the devil, to give us the way to eternal life. By His fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies, He has shown Himself to be who He said He is, and by His teaching, preaching, and healing He comes to us to give us the gifts of life, eternal life and salvation. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.