Apology to Augsburg, Article IV. Justification, Part 2 - Civil Works vs. Good Works - February 28, 2018 - Lenten Midweek 3 - Text: Apology to Augsburg Article IV

This year during the season of Lent through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are continuing our celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation as we did at Advent through Christmas. During Lent through Easter we are covering what is considered the most important doctrine of the Church and the Lutheran Church, Article IV of the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. Article IV is the article on Justification and how we are made just and right in God’s eyes. Indeed, this article is the article on which the Church stands or falls, because we are saved either by ourselves, our good deeds, our obedience, and so forth or our salvation comes from outside of us, namely it comes from Jesus, who has earned and paid for our sins by His suffering and death and the cross and which He gives freely to us with out any merit or worthiness within us.

Today we take up the conversation of civil good works versus what are truly good works in God’s eyes. First we look at civil good works and define what we mean by civil good works. Civil good works are indeed good works, at least in the eyes of those who perform such works and in the eyes of those for whom the good work is performed. The problem with civil good works and why they are not truly good works in God’s eyes is because first and foremost civil good works tend to point to self. A civil good work is performed because I am a good person, and this belief is true no doubt, and because I am a good person I do good things. Although a civil good work may seem altruistic, that is it is done simply to do a good deed, the one performing the work often does so because they feel good about themselves in doing it. Indeed, as St. Paul reminds us, the good that we desire to do we do not do, but the evil that we do not want to do that is what we do. We will contrast this to what is a godly good work in a bit.

A civil good work is also one that often seeks self adulation that is I get something out of it whether consciously or unconsciously. In other words, I feel good about doing some good deed. I feel good about myself or I feel good because I did something nice, or I did good and got a nice thank you for what I did. Perhaps I did good and got some public recognition.

It may appear and it may be said that civil good works are performed for the sake of human altruism but for the most part this would be an outward altruism. In other words, although it may look like a deed done purely out of selfless concern, what cannot be seen is what is in the heart of the one doing the deed. One who is an atheist or an agnostic may perhaps do what seems to be an altruistic civil good work, but if one has no god or professes faith in no god then in essence that one becomes their own god, thus the altruistic deed is done for the sake of ones own feelings of happiness. When we understand that the heart of idolatry is self, then we can understand that apart from the one true God there can be no true good work.

Civil good works are good works, but not necessarily good works before God. Again, if one has no faith in the One true God, then the good work which is done is only done for self. Only as one has faith in the One true God can one do what is truly a good work. So, what is considered a good work before God? A good work in God’s eyes is one that is motivated by God, that is one that is motivated by the Gospel. A true good work is not a have to but a get to. It is not a condition, but an I cannot help but do it. It is a response of faith in serving God by serving others. As we are given faith by God so the desire of faith is to be given even more and to respond with thanks and praise and that response is seen in one’s desire to be of service.

A good work in God’s eyes is one that is worked in and through us by God. Again, as Paul reminds us, the good that we want to do we do not do, instead the evil that we do not want to do that is what we do, that is after all our fallen nature. Thus, to do a good work means that the desire and the deed must come from outside of us. Here again, as in justification we get it right when we point to God, so in sanctification we get it right when we point to God as well. He moves us, He stirs in us and we do as a response of faith, a response to all that He does and gives.

And a good work in God’s eyes is one that gives glory to God. This last understanding of a good work in God’s eyes means that it is very seldom that we actually do good works in God’s eyes. I say that because more often than not our human desire is to be given some adulation for those good works we perform. More often than not when we do good works that are good works in God’s eyes we do not even realize we are doing them. How often it is that after the fact we are told by someone that what we did made a difference when the truth is that when we were doing what needed to be done we did not even think about or realize we were doing something anyone would consider good. We were simply doing what we were moved to do.

What does this mean? In reality we know civil good works when we see them and they are good. We need civil good works to be done to be sure. When a natural disaster occurs we need people that will respond with civil good works. Although having said that I would say that 95 to 99% of those who respond at times of disaster are faith believing people. Very seldom do we see atheist, agnostic or non-faith believing groups participate in times of disaster because it is not a necessary part of their existence. We do see those involved for personal reasons that may or may not be apparent at the time, however, if one is not doing a good deed in response of faith, the one ultimately benefitting from the deed is the one doing the deed, along with the one being helped of course.

When it comes to Godly good works, we do not often see Godly good works, at least not in our own lives because we do them unaware we are doing them at the time. As Christians we simply respond in faith as we are motivated by the Holy Spirit, as He works the deed in and through us and as we point to God and give Him glory.

Civil good works flow from self. Civil good works are necessary for our society. Civil good works fill the void of one feeling helpless and so one pitches in the be of service. The effect of one doing a civil good works is that one has a good feeling about themself. One has a good feeling to the one for whom the deed is done. One may even be given words of praise and adulation making one feel even better.

On the other hand Godly good works flow from faith and God. Godly good works are a response of faith even a work of vocation. As we live our lives we serve God by serving others. Our works of service flow from thankful hearts. Our works of service are simply a response to all the good gifts and blessings our Lord has so graciously given to us. We wonder to ourselves, how can we do anything else, how can we not respond and do good to those whom God loves.

Again, Godly good works are a natural result of faith and point to Jesus. We are born with nothing and we take nothing from this world when we pass on. All that we have while we live in this world is on loan from God. As God has provide us so we are to share with those in need, for as Paul reminds us there may be a time when we will be in need and God will provide for us through others to whom He has provide. So we help and are of service to one another serving God and giving Him glory by serving one another.

Paul sums it up best when he says, “8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Paul points to God for our justification, He has made us right with Himself by the faith that He gives to us in Jesus who forgives us. We have always been good at quoting Ephesians 2:8-9, but Paul also adds verse ten and points to God for our sanctification, our good works as well. Indeed, we have been created to do the good works which God has prepared for us to do and we do them because God moves us to do them. So, we end as always, pointing to God and saying, to Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Lutheran Vocational Evangelism

(Giving An Answer For Your Hope)

As you live your life in your various vocation; as you live your life as a priest, offering your life as a living sacrifice to the Lord; as you serve God by serving others, people will notice. They will notice that you are different. They will notice that you are a Christian. Some will notice and have disdain toward you mainly because your good example brings them guilt and shame. Some will notice and have respect for you. And ultimately, some will notice and will even ask you about your faith. That is why Peter tell us:

14But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame (1 Peter 3:14-16).

You can preach sin and death, forgiveness and grace, Law and Gospel, just about anything all day long, and no one will listen to you because they are not interested in what you have to say unless they inquire or ask. So, Peter’s words of instruction and advice are very appropriate. Always be ready to give a defense (the Greek word is apologia or apology), and here the word defense means to give an answer for the hope that you have in Jesus.

It is when someone asks and only when they ask then are they truly interested and will listen to the answer you will give. Thus, it is imperative that we are always ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Jesus when we are asked because we never know what opportunity might arrive and that might be our only opportunity to give an answer.

And let us not neglect the last part of Peter’s advice to give and answer with gentleness and respect. Just as a kind word turns away wrath, so a gentle and respectful answer turns hearts toward Jesus.

6 of 52    © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)

My Covenant Is with You - February 25, 2018 - Second Sunday in Lent - Text: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

I want to begin this week by, again, reminding you that the Bible presents only one covenant between God and humanity. God does not distinguish between people groups, or what we might call races, cultures or ethnicities. This concept is important for us to understand because there are some in our world today who believe that God has made one covenant with the children of Israel and a different or second or other covenant with everyone else, those of us who are called Gentiles. The fact of the matter is, as we read our Bible, and remember, always go back and read the actual Word of God, in Genesis, immediately after Adam and Eve sinned God made His one covenant, that is that He would send a Savior for all people. Notice, there was only Adam and Eve, there were no Jews or Gentiles, at least not yet. After the tower of Babel, after the people split according to the language they spoke, after the people groups, cultures separated and dispersed to the different parts of the world, after many years God chose Abram and reiterated His covenant to him that He would save the world. This was not a new covenant. This was not a different covenant. This was not a second covenant. This was a reiteration and expanding or actually a narrowing of the line of the fulfillment of the covenant God first made in the Garden of Eden. God chose Abram and told him that the Savior of the world, not the savior of the Jews only or of the Gentiles only, but the Savior of the world would be born through his descendants. One covenant!
 

Getting to our text for this morning, God had already chosen Abram and called him to be the father of the One who would save the world. God continued to be in communion with Abram in order to make sure he knew he was the one who would be the father of the Savior. We begin at verse one, “1When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.’ 3Then Abram fell on his face” (v. 1-3). Again, this is a reiteration of the covenant God first made with Abram twenty-four years earlier.
 

Notice that it is not Abram who is initiating this covenant with God. Abram did not come to God. Abram did not chose God. It is God who initiates. It is God who is calling Abram. Abram has nothing to bring to this covenant and nothing is asked of Abram. God is the one who is initiating. God is the one who is choosing. God is the one who is promising everything and He is the One who will fulfill every promise He makes. As all covenants are, this is a one-sided offering. This is not a contract in which both parties bring something to the table. This is a covenant in which only one party, God is bringing something to the table. God is initiating. God is choosing. God is promising. In this appearing to Abram God reveals Himself as El Shaddai, or God Almighty.
 

And God changes Abram’s name as a sign of the coming fulfillment. Remember, it has been some twenty-four years since God promised Abram and Sarai that they would have a baby. Certainly this waiting for such a long time would make anyone anxious, especially since Abram and Sarai were both continuing to grow older and everyone knows that the older you get the less likely it is that you will have a child, at least a healthy child. Certainly Abram and Sarai were anxious and beginning to wonder. So, God steps in and reassures Abram and He does this, He reassures Him by changing His name.
 

Continuing on in our text at verse four, “And God said to him, 4‘Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you’” (v. 4-7).
 

Unfortunately what we do not see or read in our English version is the fact that what God says to Abraham is that He has already made him into the father of a multitude of nations. The word for “made” is in the Perfect Tense, which means this is a completed action. God does not simply speak empty words to Abraham, but God’s Word, being a Word with power, accomplishes what He says and so He says it as a matter of fact, as a matter of having already been accomplished. Abraham has already been made the father of a great nation and earthly speaking this is the Children of Israel. Even though Abraham will not see this great nation, it will happen because God says it will happen and as God lives in the eternal present He speaks that it has already happened.
 

But even more than being the father of a great earthly nation is the fact that Abraham has already been made the father of a great heavenly nation, as well, that is the true Israel, all believers in Jesus are children of Abraham, by faith. For us this means that we too are children of Abraham, not by birth, not by genetics, not by DNA, but by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
 

God changed Abram’s name and in order to encourage Sarai He changed her name as well. We pick up at verse fifteen, “15And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her’” (v. 15-16). Again, Abraham and Sarah have been “patiently” waiting now for over twenty-four years and they are not getting any younger. We know that Sarah had doubts to start with because when she heard the promise she laughed, remember that is where we get the name Isaac, from laugh, so certainly she needs some reassuring. So, God changed Abraham’s name and now He changes Sarai’s name to Sarah to indicate that she would be a mother even in her old age.
 

And as God speaks of what is happening with Abraham that he is that he is already the father of a great nation, so it is with Sarah that is that God speaks that she is already the mother of great nations.
 

What does this mean? Forgive me for saying this again, but because of those in our world who are not discerning and who fail to go back to Scripture and read what God says, I have to say it again, first and foremost our text reminds us that the promise, the covenant that God is reiterating with Abraham is not a new covenant, nor second covenant, but is an expanding or narrowing of the fulfillment of the covenant and promise that was first given in Genesis, in the Garden of Eden, to Adam and Eve and to all their descendants, to all people, of all places, of all times.
 

Our text reminds us that it was God who chose Abraham. Abraham did not choose God. God chose Abraham, and He chose him not because of any innate goodness in him, but simply because he is the one God chose. We might be reminded that this choosing is true about us as well. God chose us. We did not and we do not choose God. Because of our original sin, because we are conceived and born in sin, because every inclination of our heart is evil all the time, our will has been tainted so that we cannot choose God. “No one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit,” and so it is not we who go looking for God or choose God, but it is God who comes looking for us, it is God who chooses us and He has indeed chosen us, even before He began creating the world and most specifically He has chosen us when He has given us faith, either through His Word or for most of us through the waters of Holy Baptism.
 

God promised Abraham, a land and possessions but most importantly, to be the forefather of the Savior. The earthly fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham was the land of Israel, especially as seen in the glory days of King David and King Solomon. As the children of Israel continued to reject God, they indeed lost that gift of the land or better said, they rejected that gift of the land. Theologically speaking then, not necessarily politically speaking, they really have no right to that land today. The same is true of the possessions and wealth that once was theirs. But most importantly is the fact that God’s promise was that through the Offspring of Abraham, in particular through the one Offspring, Jesus, all nations would be blessed. This is, of course, the promise of the Messiah, the promise that Jesus was to be born of the seed of Abraham and He would indeed save the world.
 

As we move into the New Testament and into New Testament times, the Gospel shows us this promise of the One through whom all nations would be blessed to be fulfilled is Jesus. We have the genealogies of the Gospels to guide us back to see Jesus as a son of Abraham and even as a son of God. He is the one who came to fulfill all God’s laws perfectly for us in our place because we cannot. He came to fulfill all God’s laws perfectly for the whole nation of Israel, because they could not. He fulfilled all God’s promises completely showing Himself to be the Messiah, the Savior of the world, so that all nations might be blessed through Him.
 

In our Epistle lesson for this morning we read of Paul writing to the Romans reminding them of Jesus’ work of Salvation. Paul reminds us that we have no right to think that we might demand that God would save us, as a matter of fact Paul reminds us that we are sinners, that we sin in thought, word and deed, that we sin sins of commission, doing what we should not be doing and sins of omission, not doing what we should be doing, that we sin continually, and as God says every inclination of our heart is evil all the time. Because of our nature as sinners, we should not expect anything from God. As a matter of fact, Paul reminds us that even if we were good we might not get special treatment. But the fact is because of God’s great love for us His grace and gifts abound. Just as Abraham brought nothing to God’s covenant so we bring nothing to God’s covenant with us. It is all God’s gift and promises. It is while we were sinners and because we are sinners that Christ died for us.
 

God’s promise to Abraham is His promise to us. By God’s grace, through faith in Jesus, faith He gives to us, faith He nourishes in us through His means of grace, we are children of Abraham. By God’s grace, through faith in Jesus and in His suffering and death of the cross, because of His great love for us He gave His life for ours, while we are yet sinners. This is grace indeed. This is love indeed.
 

As always we are pointed in the right direction when that direction is from God to us. God gives and we are given to. Again today we are reminded of God’s coming to us and covenanting with us. God comes to us through His Word and Holy Baptism to call us to and give us faith. God comes to us through confession and absolution to give us forgiveness of sins. God comes to us through His Body and Blood in His Supper to give us forgiveness and to strengthen us in our faith. God gives and we are given to.
 

As we continue in this Lenten Season certainly we are pointed to and reminded of our sins. Yes, it is our sins that put Jesus on the cross, but it is because of our sin and because of God’s great love for us that Jesus came to die on the cross. What a great God we have. What a loving God we have. And He even moves in us to respond with words of thanks and praise. To Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Apology to Augsburg, Article IV. Justification, Part 1 - Law and Gospel - February 21, 2018 - Lenten Midweek 2 - Text: Apology to Augsburg Article IV

This year during the season of Lent through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are continuing our celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation as we did at Advent through Christmas. During Lent through Easter we are covering what is considered the most important doctrine of the Church and the Lutheran Church, Article IV of the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. Article IV is the article on Justification and how we are made just and right in God’s eyes. Indeed, this article is the article on which the Church stands or falls, because we are saved either by ourselves, our good deeds, our obedience, and so forth or our salvation comes from outside of us, namely it comes from Jesus, who has earned and paid for our sins by His suffering and death on the cross and which He gives freely to us with out any merit or worthiness within us.

Today we consider the distinction between the Law and the Gospel. We begin with a proper understanding the Law. As we learn in confirmation class the threefold purpose of the Law is that it serves as a curb, a mirror and a rule. Just as a curb is used to keep cars on the street and off the sidewalk, so the Law serves as a curb to keep us on the straight and narrow road which leads to salvation. Just as we look in a mirror in order to see our flaws, so the Law is a mirror which shows us our sins and how sinful we truly are. Just as a rule is a guide to make life fair, so the Law is intended to be a guide to keep us on the straight and narrow as well.

When I was in confirmation, a mere few years ago, I was taught a simple way to remember the purpose of the Law and the Gospel. I learned the S.O.S. of the Law and the S.O.S. of the Gospel. The purpose of the Law, the S.O.S. of the Law that it Show Our Sins and as such it always points us to ourselves. The Law tells us what we are to do and what we are not to do. The Law gives us boundaries and shows us how we trespass beyond those given boundaries. In telling us what we are to do the Law shows us how we have not done what we should be doing, in other words, not only does the Law show us that we sin sins of commission, that is not only do we sin by doing something we should not be doing, the Law also shows us how we sin sins of omission, that is that we are not doing the things we should be doing. Again, the very purpose of the Law is to show us our sin.

The Law cannot save us. In and of itself, if preached alone the Law only leads to despair or works righteousness. The Law leads to despair when we see how sinful we are and think there is no hope of forgiveness and salvation. The Law leads to works righteousness when we see how sinful we are and yet we think that we can actually do something to overcome our sins or work them off.

On the other hand, the purpose of the Gospel, the S.O.S. of the Gospel is that it Shows Our Savior. The Gospel points us away from self and only to Jesus. First and foremost the Gospel is gift with no conditions, as we so well pointed out last week. To help us understand the gift nature of the Gospel perhaps we could differentiate between gift and present. Very often at Christmastime we exchange presents. I will give you a present and you will give me one in return. While this is a worthwhile tradition, this tradition is not gift giving but rather a present exchange. True gift giving is giving without demanding nor expecting something, anything in return. God is the only true and great gift giver. Indeed, God gives all things. What we are born with and what we take with us when we die is what is truly ours. Nothing is ours. All that we have while in this world is God’s and is on loan to us from Him to use while we are in this world. God gives and we are given to. Gift giving has no conditions as if you do this thing then I will give you this gift. Gift giving is giving with no demand nor expectation.

The Gospel always points only to Jesus. The Gospel does not point to self nor ask anything of self. The Gospel speaks of Jesus and His doing and giving. In other words, the Gospel says, Jesus chose me; Jesus lived for me; Jesus died for me; Jesus loves me; Jesus gives me faith; Jesus gives me forgiveness of sins. There is no I in the Gospel. There is no I chose, I decided, I was obedient, I did this or I did that. That I talk, that talk of self is not pointing to Jesus talk. Pointing to Jesus talk is talking about Jesus’ doing and giving and our being done to and given to.

The Gospel saves because the Gospel is the good news of Jesus. The Gospel saves because it is the Word of God and God’s Word always gives and does what it says. As the Word of God says we are given faith, so we can be sure we are given faith. As the Word of God says we are forgiven our sins, so we can be sure our sins are forgiven. As the Word of God says we have eternal life in heaven, so we can be sure we have eternal life in heaven.

What does this mean? When we speak of Law and Gospel we must always do so making a proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel. We must not mix Law and Gospel as is done in moralism, such as is done in Aesop’s fables. Aesop always ended with the moral of the story, that is with the lesson learned in the story. Also please note that Parables do not have morals, rather parables are earthly stories with heavenly meaning and that heavenly meaning is a Gospel, or a Law meaning, a meaning that warns or gives the gifts that God gives through the parable.

A proper distinction of Law and Gospel gives us a certainty of our eternal salvation. With a proper distinction of Law and Gospel there is never any hint of uncertainty, that is, wondering if you have done enough for salvation. The Law pointedly declares that you are a sinner unfit for heaven and that is what it is supposed to do. The Gospel declares that you are forgiven for Jesus’ sake because He paid the price for your sins and that is what it is supposed to do. Our confidence is in the certainty of the good news of the Gospel of Jesus forgiveness.

As we said last week and as we will most certainly say several more times, the Law does not motivate repentance that is the work of the Gospel. The Law by itself brings uncertainly, either to works righteousness or despair.

However the Law does pave the way for the Gospel. As Paul reminds us, if we did not know what sin was or that we were sinners then we would not know that we need forgiveness. If we did not know we were sinners in need of forgiveness and we did not repent then our sin would remain on us, we would not be forgiven and we would be eternally lost. The price for heaven is perfection and in and of ourselves we would be imperfect. Thus the Law shows our sins and stirs in us the need for forgiveness.

On the other hand the Gospel soothes the soul. The Gospel comes in and says, your sins are forgiven. The Gospel points us to Jesus who was perfect for us in our place. The fullness of the Gospel is not simply Jesus’ death, but His perfect life for us as our substitute. By faith, given to us through the means of grace, by the Holy Spirit, when God looks at us He sees Jesus’ perfection and He is satisfied that it is our perfection. When we look at God we see Jesus’ perfection and we too are satisfied that He died for us.

The Gospel is gift and gives the gifts of God. The Gospel is gift and never asks anything from the one being given to, rather it simply gives without demand nor expectation. The Gospel never coerces. The Gospel never has teeth. The Gospel never has conditions. The Gospel simply gives. The Gospel gives the gifts of God, faith, strengthening of faith, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

When we speak and point to ourselves, that talk is Law talk and does not save. When we speak and point to Jesus, when we extol the gifts of God and point to Jesus as the One giving the gifts, when we give thanks to God for His good gifts and blessings, that is Gospel talk, that is Jesus talk, that is getting the proper distinction correct. So we rejoice and say, thanks be to God for His indescribable love and gifts. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Lutheran Vocational Evangelism

(Concerning Our Going, “As you are going . . .”)

Our “going” is our vocation. Our vocation is our station in life. Very often we live in many and various vocations or stations in life all at the same time. We may be a mother or father, brother or sister, aunt or uncle, factory worker or newspaper editor, stock market broker or farmer, teacher or student. And often our vocations change as we move through the various stages of our lives. However, there is one vocation that remains the same:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

We are a chosen race and a royal priesthood. By faith in Jesus, faith He has given to us through the waters of Holy Baptism, faith He strengthens through His Holy Word, we are priests. Now, the priests of the Old Testament offered sacrifices and so we too offer sacrifices; however, the sacrifices we offer today are not blood offerings on the altar. No, today our sacrifices are that we live our lives as living sacrifices as Paul says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). And as Peter says, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

Today we are priests offering our lives as living sacrifices in our vocations in which we serve God by serving others. The very purpose of our lives is first and foremost to be loved by God because we cannot love except that He first loved us. And then we reflect His love to others, serving Him by our service to others by being priests offering our lives as living sacrifices, and in so doing we bear witness of our faith and give Him glory.

5 of 52    © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)

Through Your Offspring All Nations Will Be Blessed - February 18, 2018 - First Sunday in Lent - Text: Genesis 22:1-18

We begin our Lenten season with a reminder of why we have Lent. We could go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, but for today our text takes us only as far back as Abraham. So, we begin by going back and hearing God’s threefold covenant with Abraham. We begin with the reminder that this covenant came about because of sin and temptation. The three readings for today remind us: The Old Testament reading reminds us of the testing of Abraham; the Gospel reading reminds us of the temptation of Jesus; and in the Epistle reading James reminds us that there is a difference between tempting and testing; that temptation never comes from God, but only from Satan, and that although God may test us in order to strengthen us in our faith God never tempts us to sin. So, all our texts for this morning carry this theme of testing.
 

Our text for today is the testing of Abraham. We read beginning at verse one, “1After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ 2He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” (v.1-2). Notice how the words, “take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love,” reflect the words of God the Father about Jesus, “this is my son, whom I love, listen to Him.” Just as an aside, this is a great passage to quote to those of the Muslim tradition who suggest that the line of the promise was through Ishmael, not Isaac; notice, from God’s Word, that Ishmael is not even considered a son of Abraham, only Isaac, Abraham’s “only” son, his “only son, Isaac”. Isaac is the son of Abraham, the son of the covenant.
 

As for where Abraham is to go, at first God is not specific, He simply tells Abraham that He wants him to go to the region of Moriah. Abraham does not know exactly where he is to go, but he obeys, knowing that God will guide him as he goes. We pick up at verse three, “3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’ 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together” (v.3-6). Notice that Abraham does not doubt. He does not stop to think about what he is about to do. Abraham believes God and he believes in the resurrection. Notice Abraham’s words of faith, “I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” He has confidence, he has faith that he and the boy will come back to the young men.
 

Next we have Isaac’s question. We pick up at verse seven, “7And Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here am I, my son.’ He said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ 8Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together” (v. 7-8). Here again we see with what great faith Abraham moves. He does not doubt God. He does not expect to get out of sacrificing his son, yet he knows that God will make all things work to His glory. Thus, in faith he tells Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” Notice also, that Abraham understands that all things do come from God, that we provide nothing. It is not as if we bring anything to give to God, our offerings, first fruits, or tithes, rather these are only the things that God provides for us to bring to Him.
 

Our text continues with the attempt to sacrifice and the intervention. We read from verse nine, “9When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ 12He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me’” (v.9-12). The fact that God did not allow Abraham to sacrifice His Son, and yet received his intention as the sacrifice reminds us that it is not when we actually commit a sin that we have sinned, rather we sin when we have the very intention of sinning in our hearts. So, we see that we do not always sin only if we actually commit a sin, we sin when we first have the intention in our hearts. This reminds us of the fact that we do sin in thought, word and deed.
 

In the end, God provides. We read from verse thirteen, “13And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’” (v. 13-14). God did provide a substitute for Isaac. He did provide the ram for the sacrifice.
 

With the testing of Abraham’s faith and his passing the test we have the reiteration of the threefold covenant which God originally made with Abraham. We read from verse fifteen, “15And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.’” (v. 15-18). Here I want to make a note about the text. Our translation infers that Abraham was blessed because he obeyed the Lord. Going back to the Hebrew, what the text literally says is that Abraham was blessed because he heard the Lord. In other words, God tells Abraham that all nations will be blessed because he heard Him, not because he obeyed Him. Here we are reminded once again that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We are also reminded that God’s provision is not conditioned on us, but on what He is doing and what He is telling us He is doing.
 

Our text for today shows us that Isaac is a type of Christ. Christ knowingly and willingly gave himself for us on the cross, willingly. Isaac gave himself to be sacrificed on the altar, perhaps willingly, although we might infer that he did it unknowingly.
 

Isaac carried his own wood, the wood on which he was to be sacrificed, again, perhaps willingly, yet unknowingly. Christ willingly and knowingly carried His own cross, the cross on which He was to be nailed.
 

Isaac received a ram as a substitute, so that he was not sacrificed. Jesus did not receive a substitute rather He made Himself our substitute, so that we do not have to suffer the eternal punishment for our sins, eternal spiritual death.
 

To Abraham, God reiterated the threefold covenant of a great number of descendants, the land, and that through his seed all nations will be blessed. This threefold covenant that was made to Abraham is the same covenant we have today. We are a part of this covenant, because we are the children of Abraham. By grace, through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross we are children of Abraham.
 

Because we are children of Abraham, we have been blessed. We are a part of the “all nations will be blessed.” All nations are blessed, because Jesus gave His life, He shed His blood for all nations, for all peoples of all places of all times. By grace, through faith, we share in the blessing of Jesus.
 

And we have the promise of the promised land, only our promised land is not a land here on this earth, rather our promised land is heaven. Again, by grace, through faith in Jesus, heaven is our home.
 

As we begin this Lenten season we are reminded that God first spoke His promise to send a Savior back in the Garden of Eden, immediately after Adam and Eve fell into sin. We are reminded that God reiterated His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the children of Israel throughout their years. This was not a new covenant. This was not a second covenant. This was not a different covenant. This was the same covenant with more details. Here again this morning I urge you, I beg of you, be discerning in what you read, hear and believe. There are many in our world today who believe that the children of Israel have a different or second covenant, other than the one we as Christians have. This is not the case. We have the same covenant. The difference is that the children of Israel have rejected God’s covenant by not believing in Jesus. Thus, Jesus, Paul and the other Gospel writers tell us that we, Gentile Christians, as well as believing Christians of Jewish descent are children of Abraham by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus as our Savior. It all goes back to the first giving of the covenant in the Garden of Eden before there was a Jew and Gentile, when there was only Adam and Eve. There are not two ways into heaven, but only one way, by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
 

Today we are reminded that as God tested the faith of Abraham He supplied him with an alternate sacrifice. And as He reiterated His promise to Abraham to give him the promised land, to make him a great nation and that through him all people, all nations will be blessed. We are reminded that we are a part of that great nation, a part of that blessed nation. Today we are reminded that this same covenant that God made with Abraham is in effect today. God gives us our promised land of heaven, God makes us a part of His great nation, and God has blessed us, giving us all the gifts and blessings He gives to us through the blood of His Son on the cross. Indeed, it all begins, continues, and points to Jesus. God promised a Savior. Jesus is our Savior. God gives us faith in Jesus as our Savior. God demands perfection of us and by faith in Jesus God sees His perfection as ours. Jesus took our sins and suffered and died paying the price for our sins. God gives us the forgiveness Jesus earned and paid for us. With forgiveness we know we have life, eternal life and salvation. May the Lord give us the strength and honesty we need during this Lenten Season to confess our sins, to be given His forgiveness and to cry out with a loud voice, “to God be the glory.” For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Justification - February 14, 2018 - Ash Wednesday - Text: Augsburg Confession, Article IV. Justification

Text: It is also taught among us that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God by our own merits, works, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith, when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us. For God will regard and reckon this faith as righteousness, as Paul says in Romans 3:21-26 and 4:5.

This year during the season of Lent through Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we will be continuing our celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation as we did at Advent through Christmas. During Lent through Easter we will cover what is considered the most important doctrine of the Church and the Lutheran Church, Article IV of the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. Article IV is the article on Justification and how we are made just and right in God’s eyes. Indeed, this article is the article on which the Church stands or falls, because we are saved either by ourselves, our good deeds, our obedience, and so forth or our salvation comes from outside of us, namely it comes from Jesus, who has earned and paid for our sins by His suffering and death and the cross and which He gives freely to us with out any merit or worthiness within us.

Forgiveness of sins and righteousness are gifts from God. To better help us to understand what it means that these are gifts from God we will first look at what is not considered a gift. Certainly we know that to merit, earn, or work for or gain anything through oneself means that what is merited, earned or paid for is not a gift, but is something that is earned. A gift is that thing which is given, freely given, merited, paid for and earned by the one giving the gift.

Nor is a gift that thing which comes with conditions attached, in other words, one giving with a condition, such as, I will give you this to you but only if you will do this, that or the other thing means it is no longer a gift that is given. As you have heard me say before, grace, which is gift, plus anything is no long grace and gift but the anything. As we learn in elementary math, zero plus anything is the anything, it is no longer zero. Gift is zero. Gift plus “all you gotta do” is the “all you gotta do.” Gift plus “if only you,” is the “if only you.”

So what is gift? Gift is that which is freely given. Gift is that which is merited, earned and paid for by the one giving the gift. Not only is gift that which is freely given but it is also that which is freely being given to, in other words the one being given the gift has no part in being given to. The one being given to does not add to the gift such ideas as having to accept, or receive, or claim. The one being given to has only the option of refusing and rejecting the gift being given. Or, if so moved by the gift giver the one being given to may rejoice in thanks and praise, yet even the thanks and praise are no condition for being given to.

Which brings us back to the fact that being given to also means there are no conditions attached, that is that the one being given to must react or respond in any particular way. For to add conditions removes the process from gift giving to wage earning or meriting.

Which brings us to understand faith and grace. There are many Christians who do not understand grace and even have redefined grace as being an action or work to merit salvation such as suggesting that grace is God’s giving one the ability to claim the gifts of God. With that mis-definition we then see that grace has been redefined as a good work which is not necessary for salvation. We would simply define grace as gift. Gift is that thing which is given without any condition or expectation.

Faith is best understood as an instrument. It is that thing that is given which reaches out and makes the gifts ours. I like to think of faith as the spoon that takes the ice cream from the bowl and moves it to my mouth. Of course, in my thinking the bowl, spoon and ice cream are all given to by the giver, we provide nothing. Indeed, who would serve ice cream without bowl or spoon.

What does this mean? Lent points us to ourselves and our part in Jesus’ suffering. Indeed the whole season of lent is known as a penitential season, a time to reflect on our sins and our part in putting Jesus on the cross. During Lent we are reminded of our sins of thought, word and deed. Sin begins in our hearts and minds, in our thoughts. Sin makes its way to our mouths so that we express it in our words, words which are spoken, words which hurt and harm our neighbor and their reputation. Sin makes its way in our deeds and actions, doing those things we should not do and failing to do those things which we should do. Indeed we see how we sin both by what we do as well as by what we fail to do.

The Law points us to ourselves and our inability to do good. The laws shows us our sin and that is its purpose. Indeed as we run through the ten commandments we can only see our sin and how we have failed to keep the commandments either by doing or not doing what is commanded. We must hear the Law which is intended to convict us so that we might also hear the Gospel, yet we must never hear the Law without the Gospel nor the Gospel without the Law. To hear the Gospel without the Law may lead us to think we do not need a Savior. To hear the Law without the Gospel may lead us to think we can keep the Law or to despair.

Article four of the Augsburg confession and the article on which the church stands or falls is the article on how we are made just and right in the eyes of God. Justification points us to Jesus. Just as a drowning person cannot save themself or they would not actually be drowning, so we cannot save ourselves or we would not be condemned. There is nothing we can do, nor need to do for our own justification. And just as a lifeguard will push off a drowning person trying to help save themself lest they both drown, so anytime we attempt to add any of our own doing to our justification we are simply bring our own condemnation. Justification points only to Jesus.

Likewise the Gospel points to Jesus. The Law points us to ourselves and our own ineptness, our own condemnation so the Gospel points us only to Jesus and all that He has done to save us. The Gospel reminds us that Jesus has done all that needs to be done for us. The Gospel reminds us that Jesus has fulfilled the Law for us. What the Law demands Jesus did. Jesus was prefect for us in our place. Jesus took our sins for us in our place. Jesus suffered hell for us in our place. Jesus gives His life for ours. He earned, merited, paid for our sins, the price of eternal spiritual death on the cross. Jesus gives forgiveness to us, unconditionally. He gives and we are given to.

It is as we hear the Law and the Gospel that we are moved to confess. Our confession is a result of the Gospel not the Law. The Law does not move us to confess, rather the Law moves us to run and hide as Adam and Eve did in the garden. It is the Gospel, the good news of sins forgiven that move us to acknowledge and confess our sins. Forgiveness is already there. All sins, even those we have yet to commit have already been paid for by Jesus’ blood on the cross. All we can do is refuse and reject such forgiveness which we do when we refuse to repent. Refusal to repent means the sin stays with us and thus there is no forgiveness. The Gospel which speaks forgiveness gives forgiveness and moves one to repent.

As Martin Luther said, even on his deathbed, “We are beggars it is true.” Thanks be to God that He hears our begging, that He gives us forgiveness, that He gives us His Gospel good news. Thus we hear again and again the good news that we have been made just and right in God’s eyes through the very faith that He gives us, faith in Jesus who lived, suffered and died for us.

During this Lenten season as we are reminded of our sin and our part in putting Jesus on the cross, so too are we reminded of God’s great love for us so much that He took on flesh in Jesus, lived the perfect life demanded of us, for us in our place, suffered, died and rose, defeating sin, death and the devil, and gives us the forgiveness He earned, merited, won and paid for, through the faith He also gives so that we rejoice in our forgiveness, life and salvation and say, to God be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Lutheran Vocational Evangelism

(Understanding the “Great Commission,” Part Two)

For many years, we have been told that Matthew 28:19, “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” was a commissioning passage (The Great Commission), even a command. However, when we look at the word given to us, rather than being an imperative to “Go!” we find that it is a passive verb meaning it is not a command. It would rather be better stated “as you are going.” Making disciples is not a command but is and should be a natural part of our going, our living our lives. As we are living our lives, we are to be making disciples.

Of whom are we to be making disciples, or to use more contemporary language, what is our target audience? All nations is our target audience. We are to make disciples of all nations meaning everyone we meet.

And how are we to be making disciples? We are to make disciples by baptizing. Here again we see that baptism is one of the means through which God gives faith. When we see that our “target audience” is all nations and we understand that adults as well as children and infants are citizens of a nation from birth, we hear God’s encouragement to make disciples of all people no matter the age by baptizing them.

But Jesus is not done, He goes on to add that we are also to teach them all that He has commanded. Teaching is an important part of making disciples, and we should not be negligent in our teaching. Indeed, it is after faith is given that we are to grow in our faith through our continued study of God’s Word, all that He has commanded.

Finally, we have more great comfort in Jesus’ promise that He will be with us to the end of the age. Thus, we see that this is not a “Great Commission,” rather this is a great giving of authority and a great promise. As we are living our lives, as we meet people of all ages, we have Jesus’ authority to bear witness of our faith to them, and He will be with us giving us the words and courage to be His witnesses.

4 of 52    © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)

Inheriting the Lord’s Spirit - February 11, 2018 - The Transfiguration of our Lord/Last Sunday after the Epiphany - Text: 2 Kings 2:1-12

Have you ever had a mountain top experience? You know, one of those experiences that when it was all over you wished it was still happening. One of those experiences that you wished would never end. One of those experiences that when it was over you began to feel so low, because you were so high. Well, you are not alone. Today we celebrate one of the greatest mountain top experience ever experienced by human beings. Today we celebrate the transfiguration of our Lord. Peter, James, and John had an all time high up on the mountain with Jesus, in the presence of Moses and Elijah. Our Old Testament text for today might be considered a precursor to Jesus transfiguration and the disciples mountain top experience. For, you see, our Old Testament lesson is the ascension of Elijah in whirlwind and the beginning of Elisha’s term as prophet in Israel. And for Elisha, his mountain top experience of seeing Elijah ascend into heaven was not exactly what he wanted, but in the process it did assure him that he did receive his request of a double measure of Elijah’s spirit.
 

In our Epistle lesson for this morning we are reminded of Moses who was a great leader in Israel. Paul helps us understand why, even today, many of his own people are condemned, because they refuse to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the one promised back in the Garden of Eden, the one promised to save the world and they will remain condemned as long as they refuse to believe, that is because they fail to understand the promises of the Old Testament.
 

In our Gospel reading for this morning we have the account of the Transfiguration of our Lord. We might understand this transfiguration as Jesus conferring with Moses, the giver of the Law and Elijah the great prophet as a confirming that Jesus has done what He came to do, fulfill all the Law and the Prophecies perfectly, for us, in our place. Having accomplished this, He is ready to take the sins of all people, including our sins, and to face the cross for all people, including us.
 

Our text is one that comes at the end of Elijah’s term as the prophet in Israel and the beginning of Elisha’s term. Elijah had completed the work that God had given him to do. Throughout His life He listened to the Lord and did what the Lord told him to do. Now it was time for the Lord to bring him home, to heaven.
 

As we remember the life of Elijah we remember that he did not have an easy task of being the Lord’s prophet. Yet, he followed the Lord, even through the rough times. The Lord had Elijah continually proclaim His Word of Law to the children of Israel. Elijah was always on the run from Queen Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. Elijah had done and seen a lot in his lifetime. He knew the harshness of God’s justice and Law, but he also knew the sweetness of His Gospel.
 

Elijah had served his time and he was to be given his final reward. Before being taken to heaven he went on his farewell tour to visit the schools of the prophets. He went to say his good-bye’s. Every step of the way Elisha followed. Every step of the way the prophets knew what was about to happen. Every step of the way Elisha did not want to discuss the matter. We begin at verse one,“1Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2And Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. 3And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know it; keep quiet.’” (v.1-3). After all was accomplished the Lord sent a whirlwind to bring Elijah to his home in heaven.
 

With Elijah’s being taken to heaven, Elisha was given Elijah’s mantel. About this mantel or cloak our text says, “8Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground” (v.8). The mantel of Elijah was very much like the rod of Moses in the wilderness. The mantel was the emblem of the prophet. As the story goes, Elisha followed Elijah all over as he was making his rounds and saying his good-byes. Before being taken into heaven Elijah asked Elisha what he would like before he was taken. Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. We read in our text at verse nine, “9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.’ And Elisha said, ‘Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.’ 10And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so’” (v.9-10).
 

What Elisha was praying for was help. The double portion of Elijah’s spirit was the inheritance of the first born. The first born received a double portion of the inheritance. Elisha knew the job that lay before him. He knew what Elijah had endured and he knew that the only way that he would be able to endure would be to have a double measure of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah told Elisha that this was not for him to grant. He could not give a double measure of his spirit, only God could do that. And if God would do that, then to confirm the giving of the double portion of his spirit, God  would give Elisha the sign that is, he would receive this double portion if he saw Elijah as he ascended.
 

Elisha did see Elijah ascend, we read at verse eleven, “11And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12And Elisha saw it and he cried, ‘My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces” (v.11-12). Elisha did receive the double portion of Elijah’s spirit. And Elisha was ready to serve the Lord. Elisha returned to his community to carry out the work the Lord had for him to do. Notice, Elijah was not taken into heaven by the chariot of fire and horses as some would tell you. The text tells us that Elijah and Elisha were separated by the chariots of fire and horses, and that Elijah went up by a whirlwind. Just a reminder to us all that it may be best if at times we go back and see what the text really says.
 

Elijah, Elisha, all the prophets through time were merely forerunners of the great prophet, Jesus Himself. Jesus was the great prophet who came to complete God’s Work. Jesus came to complete the job He was given to do. He humbled Himself. He left all the glory that was His in heaven. As God in heaven He had all glory, and yet, He left that glory, giving it up in order to be born as a human being, as one of us. He humbled Himself so that He did not always or fully use His divine, His God powers while here on this earth.
 

God’s plan was to send a Savior. His plan was first laid out to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, immediately following their fall into sin. His plan was reiterated to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as He told them that He would give them the promised land, that He would make them into a great nation, and that through them, all nations would be blessed, in other words, that through their offspring would come the Savior of the world. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. Jesus came and obeyed God the Father’s plan perfectly.
 

Jesus came and gave Himself for us. He came born, humbly in a manger. He grew up and lived a perfect life. He lived perfectly according to all the Law, obeying all God’s Laws perfectly and He lived perfectly according to all God’s promises, completely and perfectly fulfilling all God’s prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. He took all our sins and all the sins of all people of all places of all times upon Himself. He allowed Himself to be crucified on the cross for our sins. He shed His blood for us. He gave His life for ours. He died so that we might be given forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.
 

God gives us jobs to do. Certainly He does not call us all to be prophets, nor does He call any of us to die on a cross. But He does call us to faith in Jesus. He calls us to have our faith strengthened through His Word. He calls us to bear witness of Him through our lives, the way we act, what we think, say and do.
 

God calls us to faith. He does this through the means of grace, through His Word and Sacraments. He gives us His Word, not to put on our coffee table, not to have a place to press flowers, not a place just to record our family tree. He gives us His Word as a means through which He gives us all His gifts and blessings. He gives us His Word to read, mark, learn and literally, to inwardly digest.
 

God gives His Word, but He also gives us the ability to do His Word. God does not just say, “do my word.” Rather, He works in us so that we are able to “do His Word.” God understands that in and of ourselves we are unable to do His word. That is why as He gives us His Word He also gives us the Holy Spirit who works through that very same word to work in us the good works that He would have us to do.
 

God calls us to faith. God gives us His Word. God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us accomplish His Word and God gives us our reward. Our reward is heaven, the greatest mountain top experience. The only mountain top experience from which we will not have to come down. A mountain top experience that will last forever.
 

Today we celebrate Transfiguration Sunday. Transfiguration Sunday marks the end of the Epiphany season and on Wednesday, which is Ash Wednesday we have the beginning of Lent. Jesus’ transfiguration marked His setting His face toward Jerusalem and His crucifixion. How fitting that Moses and Elijah were with Jesus on the mountain. Moses was the law giver who carried the staff and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Elijah was the prophet who was bodily assumed into heaven. Both of these men had experienced the struggles of being God’s prophet during tough times. As Jesus meets with them on the mountain, certainly He is comforted by these two men, He is confirmed in His resolve to go to the cross, and He is assured that this is the Lord’s will and that His work would result in the salvation of the world. Jesus’ mountain top experience was followed by His valley experience of suffering and dying on the cross. But His valley experience was followed by His forever mountain top experience of His resurrection, His ascension and His being in heaven where He is watching over us, ruling over us, and interceding for us. And He sends His Holy Spirit to work through His Word and Sacraments to give us forgiveness of sins, to strengthen us in our faith, to comfort us in our lives, and so that we too will share in His glory in heaven. And to that we say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Lutheran Vocational Evangelism

(Understanding the “Great Commission,” Part One)

For many years, the main Bible reading that has been offered which directs us to be witnesses and even more, evangelists, and the one that brings many people a great amount of guilt is Matthew 28:19-20. For our purposes, we will begin with verse sixteen and take a closer look at what God actually tells us. Perhaps if we get a better understanding of what God actually says, we might have our guilt eased, and we might even be more excited in what we get to do.

“16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:16-20).

So what does this text really tell us? First, it is rather interesting and should give us great comfort to know that these eleven apostles who had been with Jesus watching Him perform miracles, casting out demons, healing, controlling the weather and the like, those closest to Him worshiped but “some doubted.” Certainly we need not be ashamed or feel guilt when we have difficulties with our own faith.

Next, notice what Jesus does first. He tells us that He has all authority and infers that He is giving that authority to His apostles and to us. This giving of authority means that when someone asks who gives us the authority to speak for God, we can answer that Jesus does. What great joy, comfort and now confidence we can have in being a witness because we have the example of the apostles and the authority of Jesus.

3 of 52    © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)

Lutheran Vocational Evangelism

(Foundation of the Authority of the Word of God)

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.” Martin Luther

Because humanity is capable of error and because erroneous and fallacious assertions have been made throughout history, many in the name of God let it be known that our foundation is the Word of God. Although God has and may in the future speak directly to anyone, that is not His usual means of coming to us; thus, we are assured that God speaks to us most certainly through His Word.

And His Word is the only and final authority for what we believe. We speak what His Word says, no more and no less. If we fail to understand, if we do not like the tension in which we are left at times by the Word, we refrain from imposing our own human logic or reason in order to resolve what the Word leaves unresolved because when we resolve what God leaves unresolved, that human, logical, reasoned resolve usually leaves us somewhere outside God’s Word.

Our foundation, then, is the very Word that God speaks. And when man speaks words in opposition to the Word of God, we understand that man got something wrong because God is never wrong.

As John tells us, there is a reason we have God’s Word, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). We are bound by the authority of God in His Holy Word. May God help us.

2 of 52    © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)

God’s Understanding is Unsearchable - February 4, 2018 - Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - Text: Isaiah 40:21-31

Not too many Sundays ago we were reminded that the adage, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it’” has a flaw, namely that it does not matter what I believe or do not believe, rather if God said it, then that settles it. You may also remember that many times I have said that if the word of man differs from the Word of God, I will believe God’s Word over the word of humans, who are fallible, anytime. Ever since creation humans have attempted to put themselves in positions of knowledge and power above God, even to the point of attempting to exclude God. Well, think about it, if there is no God then there are no absolutes, no absolute authority and so we are accountable to no one. That thinking is what is behind the teachings of Charles Darwin and is hailed by many Darwinist, Evolutionists, and Atheists as truth and wisdom. Great amounts of time, money and effort have gone into the indoctrination of the religion of Darwinism, Evolution and Atheism, so much so that too many in our world today actually believe Satan’s lies which have come through these means over against God and His infallible Word. For too many years Christians have sat on the sidelines watching as the world, through our public education system and unfortunately at times through our private education systems as well as through, even so called Christian colleges and universities, have been taught that there is no god, that there is no ultimate authority, that we are products of endless mutations and accidents, that there is no point to this world, and that we are responsible to no one. And all this in the name of “science.” I believe Christians have been silent for so long because we have not taken the time to get educated in how to give an answer for the hope that we have. Fortunately we live in a day and age where good factual information is readily available and where we can get answers and prepare ourselves to give an answer for the hope we have. Of course, the first place we go is to God and His Word.
 

Before we get to our text, let us take a moment to look at our other lessons. The epistle lesson for this morning reminds us of the importance and the power of the Gospel. Paul reminds us that as Christians we are compelled, we cannot help ourselves, but as priests in the priesthood of all believers, living our lives as living sacrifices for the Lord, we must show forth our faith and always be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. And when we do give an answer, speaking God’s Word, God does work through that word as His means of giving the gifts He has to give, as the means of grace.
 

In the Gospel lesson for this morning we are reminded once again that Jesus is who He says He is that He is God in flesh. He shows His divinity with power over all creation including the ability to heal. Remember, Jesus is God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit there at the creation of the world. So even these two lessons remind us of the power of the Word of God. Now, let us get to our text.
 

The question is often asked, “How did the world come into being?” Our text begins at verse twenty-one, “21Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?” (v. 21). When Job confronted God with all his questions God asked Job the question we need to ask those who propose a different history than God Himself gives us in His Word. We may simply ask, “Where you there?” “Then how do you know?” Remember, Darwinism, Evolution, Atheism, all these propose that there is no God and that all things simply appeared out of nothing. Interestingly enough no one has ever observed the spontaneous appearance of something from nothing, which is a foundation of so called science. Anyway, these proposals all spring from the minds of sinful, fallible human minds. When you are being told something other than what God tells us, simply ask, “Where you there?” And when the response is, “Neither were you.” You might simply answer, “Yes, but I know someone who was there and I know what He tells me.”
 

And yet, we know that God is not a God who simply created all things and then left this world to run on its own. Not only did God create, but He also sustains. We pick up at verse twenty-two, “22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble” (v. 22-24). God is a Creator God and He is also a Sustaining God. He continues to rule over and guard His creation. He continues to take care of His creation.
 

What a great and loving God we have. There is no one like God, not even any idols. We pick up at verse twenty-five, “25To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing” (v. 25-26). When we take the time to compare our God to all the other gods and idols in the world we know that there really is no comparison. All the religions of the world can be put into one of two categories. The one category is for all gods and idols and that category may be summarized by the belief that a person must save himself or herself, that a person is saved by how good he or she is, how good is their character. The other category is what we as Christians believe, that is that we are lost and condemned persons, that we have no hope and cannot save ourselves, so we rest our faith on the grace and mercy of our great and loving God who calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are saved because of what God has done, does and will do for us. We are saved because our God saved us. Yes, indeed, there is no God like Him.
 

And what a great God we have. God is omniscient, He knows all; nothing is hidden from Him. We pick up at verse twenty-seven, “27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (v. 27-28). These words should bring fear and comfort. These words bring fear for the simple fact that we are conceived and born in sin, because every inclination of our heart is evil all the time, because we constantly sin against our God in thought, word and deed and because we sin sins of commission and omission. God knows all our faults and sins. And yet, these words, that God knows all and that nothing is hidden from Him also bring comfort. For who is like God and how great, loving and merciful He truly is. He is a God who not only gave His life for ours, but continually watches over us, protecting and forgiving us.
 

And finally, Isaiah reminds us that God also renews and refreshes us. We pick up at verse twenty-nine, “29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;  31but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (v. 29-31). Yes, we are imperfect, fallible human beings. We do daily sin much and are in need of forgiveness, but our hope is in our great God who picks us up, who gives us strength, who guides, guards and keeps us always in His care and protection.
 

What does this mean? This morning we are reminded once again that we can believe and trust in our God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and who created all things out of nothing. When we look at the facts of this world, and especially when we look at them and understand them through God’s Word, we can know and believe that God’s Word speaks truth. And actually, God’s Word explains the facts of this world better and more logically than the fictitious explanations of fallible, sinful human beings, not that we believe God’s Word for this reason, but we believe because God tells us so and because His Word has to power to give us such faith. The point is, we can be confident that God’s Word is true even in the face of the allegations that are being proposed in our world today. Stand firm.
 

Not only did God create all things out of nothing, we can be sure that He still sustains and preserves the world. And we can actually see His all preserving hand as we watch the seasons come and go. As we watch the earth heal and mend itself after what we call natural disasters and even man-made disasters. We see God’s all preserving and sustaining hand when each morning we rise to meet a new day.
 

And it is God who gives, strengthens and keeps us in faith. This is not something we do for ourselves, that would put us in the category of having to save ourselves. Remember, all things flow from God to us. He is the one who gives us faith. He is the one who lived for us, living perfectly because we cannot live perfectly. He is the one who fulfilled all His laws and commands perfectly. He is the one who took our sins upon Himself. He is the one who died for us, taking our place. He is the one who shed His blood, giving His life, dying to pay the price, the cost for our sins. He is the one who rose victorious over sin, death and the devil. He is the one who gives us the forgiveness Jesus paid for on the cross. He is the one who gives us faith, who strengthens us and keep us in faith. He is the one who will come again to judge the living and the dead. Notice the focus, on Him and Him alone.
 

Today we rejoice because He renews us. He lifts us up each day. He gives us the strength to face the challenges and temptations of each new day. He lifts us up with wings like eagles so that we may live lives as His priests, living lives as sacrifices to Him.
 

Finally, we are reminded as always that He does His work though means, namely through the means of grace. This reminds us of the importance and the necessity to make regular and diligent use  of the means of grace, remembering our baptism, confessing our sins and hearing His words of absolution, hearing God’s Word, which means having personal and family devotions, attending divine service and Bible class, and the importance of coming to the Lord’s table to eat His body and drink His blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
 

May God’s Word encourage you in your faith life. God never promised that life would be easy. He never promised that we would not face trials and tribulations. He never said we would never be tempted and as a matter of fact as Christians, we probably face more trials and tribulations and more temptations than those the devil already has. Yet, God has promised that He is with us, that He forgives us, that He will protect and defend us, that He is with us always and that He will be with us to help us to give us the words to speak to give an answer for the hope that we have in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What a great God we have, a God who does all and gives all and we rejoice that we are done to and given to. To Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.