“We Should Fear, Love and Trust in God above All Things”

We live in a world where more and more there is an attempt to control the masses through fear. Indeed, fear is a great tool for manipulation. From an internet search on fear and control, this quote appeared: “How can fear be used to control? When one is gripped by fear of a threat, real or imagined, their rational and higher cognitive capacities shut down, making them easily manipulable by anyone that promises safety from the threat” (https://academyofideas.com/2015/11/fear-and-social-control/).
    

social media obsessed culture is constantly barraged with fear warnings, global climate change, shootings, kidnapping, terrorist attacks, water shortages, food shortages, diseases, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, extreme cold, extreme hot, worker shortages, wars, one group imposing on others, etc. Indeed, it is no wonder there are more and more people experiencing fear, anxiety, and worry in our world today.
 

The next question, after those first two paragraphs is: What is true and what is not true? Indeed, we know today that it is getting more and more difficult to know what is true, what is fact, and who to trust. Certainly you have heard me say this fact many times, very often humans make mistakes and get it wrong. God’s Word is never wrong. So, whenever humans speak contrary to what God says, I am going to believe God and figure the humans have gotten it wrong.
 

Certainly we all struggle with fear, worry and anxiety at times and maybe even many times. Fear, worry, and anxiety affect different people in many different ways. For some anxiety brings them to the point of needing professional assistance, perhaps even anxiety-relieving medicines. For others anxiety may be relieved through exercise, a hobby, or some other distraction. For some it may be relieved through any number of focusing training. Perhaps it might be helpful to simply turn off the media at times or to search and find trusted outlets for information and certainly seek places to find good news, good thoughts, and Godly content.
 

So, how does this information help one in combating fear, worry, and anxiety? If we can understand the root of our anxiety, perhaps there are ways we can gain relief before it even starts. Fighting anxiety can begin in two ways. First, as the title states, as Luther so well explains the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me. What does this mean? We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.” And second as the Apostle John so well states, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18). And even more, as Jesus Himself encourages, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
 

God is love. God loves us. He loves you. His desire is to give you all the gifts and blessings He has to give. His ways are best. Cling to the promise of Jesus as the writer to the Hebrews says, “for [Jesus] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5b). Jesus’ love is perfect love, and His perfect love keeps us in His care and safety.
 

As I have said many times, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Answer, “You can die.” “And if you die, what happens?” “You go to heaven and is that bad?”
 

So, let me encourage you in your own faith life and faith walk. Do not depend on yourself, but depend on Christ. Make regular and diligent use of the means of grace. Remember your baptism. Read and come and hear the Word proclaimed. Be in Divine Service and Bible Class. Have personal and family devotions. Come to confession and hear those most beautify words of absolution, “Your sins are forgiven.” Come to the Lord’s Table and eat His body and drink His blood for the forgiveness of sins and for strengthening in faith. And have confidence in your salvation because your salvation is secure in Christ.

Justified by Faith - October 29, 2023 - Reformation Sunday - Text: Romans 3:19-28

Happy Reformation Day! And so again, this year, as last year and as I will continue to do every year, I greet you with what I consider to be wonderful words of greeting. And again I confess, right from the start, that Reformation Day continues to be one of my favorite holidays. Reformation Day is the day we celebrate the re-forming of the church, and specifically, the church of Luther’s day. Reformation Day is the day we celebrate the work of God through the man, Dr. Martin Luther. Notice, we do not worship Martin Luther. We do celebrate that God the Holy Spirit, working through the means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments, moved Dr. Martin Luther to recognize the false and misleading teachings of the church of his day. God worked through Dr. Luther to show us that a person is not saved by works of the Law, rather a person is saved by grace, through faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. That alone makes this a most precious day to remember.
 

In our text for this morning, the Epistle lesson, Paul gives us a lesson to help us get a fuller understanding of the proper distinction between the Law and its purpose and the Gospel and its purpose. Paul begins with the Law and its purpose, we read, “19Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin”(v. 19-20). According to Paul the Law serves the following purposes. One of the purposes of the Law is to silence us. The Law is to keep us from bragging or boasting about our good works, or what we think are our good works. After all, it is hard to brag when all you have to brag about is how you are responsible for the death of someone, an innocent someone, especially when that someone is your own God.
 

Another purpose of the Law is to show us that we are accountable. Through the Law we understand the we are responsible for ourselves. Does this fact ever smack right in the face of our society today?! How often do we read or hear about people who have won lawsuits for their own negligence, if not out right stating or at least implying that they are not responsible for themselves. The most famous case was from a few years back and I am sure you remember the lady who spilled the hot coffee on herself and sued the fast food company. Other examples include the guy who road his bicycle at night wearing dark clothes and without any lights and sued because he was hit by a car. Of late we have hard about the young man who wanted to sue the fast food industry because he was obese. We could spend a lot of time discussing how we do not like to be held accountable for our actions in this country, yet, we do not want anyone telling us we cannot do whatever we want to do. In our text, Paul tells us that God, through the Law, reminds us that we are accountable, He will hold us, each one of us,  personally responsible for breaking the Law.
 

Which brings us to one more stated purpose of the Law, that is that the Law is given to show us our sins. One quick check of our lives against the ten commandments will suffice. I will be quick and brief, but I just want you to get the idea. Have you ever placed your hope in yourself or the things of this world, misused God’s name, neglected not only to be in church, but to hear and do according to what God says in His Word? Have you ever disobeyed anyone in authority over you, thought hateful thoughts, called someone a name or hurt them in any way, lusted after another person, thought about stealing, borrowed without returning, committed vandalism, said anything bad about someone, even if it was true, thought you wanted something so bad you would steal for it. Have you ever been discontent with your circumstances or possessions? If you have done any one of these things, then you have broken, not one but, all the commandments. Ouch! And our punishment was to be death, eternal death, hell.
 

Thanks be to God that Paul did not stop with the Law. Our text continues with the Gospel and its purpose, we continue reading, “21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”(v. 21-22a). Here I must say we do not count the number of gifts of the Gospel. When it comes to God’s gifts, especially His gift of the Gospel, we are reminded that God gives the whole lot of His gifts and He gives a whole lot more. I know I have said this before, at least I have mentioned it in Bible Class, but the fact of the matter is that God does not do fractions, that is God does not do math. God does not give us some of His gifts now and some later. He gives us all His gifts now and even more of them later. One of the purposes of the Gospel, then, is to bring us righteousness, which comes from God. Our righteousness, our right standing before God, does not come from within ourselves, it is not a self-righteousness, rather it comes from outside of us, it comes from God. Think about it this way, would you rather be self-righteous according to your standard of righteousness which might not cut it before God, or would you rather be righteous according to the standard of the person who is judging your righteousness?
 

Another purpose of the Gospel is to make our righteousness known to us and that is done through the Law and the Prophets. Here the Law and the Prophets are the whole Bible and it is through the whole Bible that God makes His righteousness known to us. We might say it this way, the Bible is one of the means that God has of giving us His righteousness.
 

Another purpose of the Gospel is to show us that our righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Here we are reminded of the importance of our faith. But let us not misunderstand faith. We must recognize that faith is not something we do. Although the Gospel continually speaks of the necessity of faith, it does not do so in the sense of demanding faith as a good work, rather it does so in the sense of an invitation extended to all people to be given the promises of God. To say that we “are given to” by God takes all the onus off of us and puts it entirely on God as the giver and makes us the passive ones who are being given to. Remember, the whole value of faith lies not in who has faith, but in the object or basis of faith. Faith in self earns hell. Faith in Jesus and His work on the cross alone earns heaven.
 

Moving on in our text Paul tells us how the Law and Gospel work together, we read, “For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus”(v. 22b-26). The Law shows how we have completely failed, that we have fallen short of the glory of God. The Law shows us our complete damnation. The Law does not save, it does not move us to anything but despair, or it leads to self-righteousness, which is why we never preach the Law by itself. This misunderstanding is what Dr. Luther was trying to reform in the church of his day. There was a confusion of Law and Gospel, such that one was taught that forgiveness could be earned and even must be earned, or it could be purchased for a price, namely for a certain amount of money. Anytime it is stated or even implied that there is anything we need to do or even can do to pay for some or any of our sins, we are simply saying that Jesus’ work on the cross was not sufficient for our sins. Again, this misunderstanding is what Dr. Luther was trying to reform.
 

The Gospel shows how God freely lifts us up and makes us one with Himself. The Gospel shows us our complete salvation. The Gospel saves and moves us to do good works to the glory of God. However, the Gospel must never be preached by itself either, for if we preach the Gospel without the Law then it becomes worthless. Think about it this way, if we do not hear the Law, if we do not know that we sin, then why would we need a Savior, thus the Gospel is worthless. If we are taught and told over and over again how we are good people and how we can be good people, then why would we need a Savior. Our preaching, which expounds the Word of God, must reflect that Word which proclaims Law and Gospel. It must also reflect God’s Word, such as the words of the Close of the Commandments, which show us that God’s Law is but for three or four generations, whereas His Gospel is for thousands of generations. Always the greater emphasis on the Gospel.
 

The Law and the Gospel work together to show us the importance of Jesus’ atonement, or at-one-with sacrifice. Jesus died for all sins of all people of all time. Our text calls them those sins committed beforehand unpunished. This reference is to the sins of the people before Jesus came. Their sins were literally unpunished until Jesus came to the cross.  Their sins were punished in Jesus on the cross, as were our sins and the sins of all people of all times and all places.
 

All of this, the Law and the Gospel are meant to show God’s justice. When we talk about the word justice we do mean a legal act on the part of God, by which He places in us, makes us possessors of, a righteousness which was not ours, which we did not earn, which we do not deserve, which we did not merit. In other words, we do not receive what we deserve, eternal damnation in hell, rather we are given what Christ has deserved for us. In our world today we might just say, praise the Lord that we do not get what we are entitled, hell. Rather we get what Christ is entitled, life in heaven.
 

Finally, Paul tells us how we are to respond to God’s gift of Law and Gospel. Yes, even Paul, in good Lutheran fashion, answers the question, “What does this mean?” we read,“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” (v. 27-28). Paul begins by reminding us that we are to respond to the Law and Gospel by humbly being given the gifts God has to give to us. We are not to boast which includes holding anything back from the Lord as if we have any part in obtaining the gifts that He has to give to us, in other words, thinking we are doing God a favor by coming to Divine Service and Bible class, thinking we are doing God a favor by putting some of our earnings into the offering plate, thinking we are somebody because we are members of St. Matthew Lutheran church, especially if we are members in name only and do not take part in the whole life of the church, or simply thinking more highly of ourselves rather than thinking of ourselves as servants of the Lord.
 

Paul reminds us that we are to recognize that we cannot save ourselves. All of our offerings, all of our good deeds, all of our prayers, all of our time, all of our anything will not save us. Only all of Jesus’ work on the cross will save us. How true and how humbling.
 

Paul, then, reminds us that our response to the Law and the Gospel is to humbly give thanks to God with our fruits of the spirit. We are given God’s gifts and show that we have been given His gifts by our actions, by our living in peace, in joy, in patience, and so on. We are given the gifts from God by boasting only in the cross of Christ, recognizing that we are justified, are made right before God and have access to heaven by faith apart from our observing the law.
 

Reformation Day is an important day, not because of some man named Dr. Martin Luther, but because of God’s work through this man and because of His work through the means of grace, through the Word and the Sacraments, through which He daily and richly works to strengthen us in our faith, to remind us of our forgiveness and to remind us of our salvation. To God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Is Worship the Same as Divine Service?

The word “worship” has been a bit overused in churches today and too often it may be necessary to have the one using the word define what they mean when they speak the word “worship.” Most dictionaries define worship as something like “worth-ship” or worthy of praise. This definition more than implies an action on the part of those “doing” the worship. We might think in terms something like worshiping a movie star, not actually lauding them as a god, but wanting to be in their presence, talking to them, getting their autograph, etc.
 

The so-called Church Growth Movement even defined the Sunday morning activity of Christians, called worship in the following way. In worship God is the audience. The congregation are the actors. The pastor, choir, praise band, etc., are the prompters. The congregation is gathered to do something for God, i.e., praise and worship Him.
 

How does this worship compare with the Sunday morning event called Divine Service? The very words Divine Service speak of a different flow of actions. The very word “Divine” means “God” and the word “service” means an action; thus, Divine Service would mean an action performed by God. Thus, in Divine Service the action is from God to man. So, Divine Service would be defined as the congregation is the audience and God is the one serving the congregation. The pastor, the called and ordained servant of the Lord, is the one through whom God acts, speaking in the stead and by the command of God. The musicians and/or choirs would be instruments in any given response to the gifts of God given to them through the pastor by the congregation.
 

When we break down the definitions of “worship” and “Divine Service,” we can see that they are not the same thing but are two different activities with two different understandings as to who is doing what in each activity.
 

So, would our desire be to attend a “worship” service or “Divine Service?” To help us answer that question we should ask the question, “What does God need from us?” Certainly we would understand there is nothing that God needs from us. As a matter of fact, it is God who gives everything to us and has done everything for us. As Paul says in Acts, “24The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25).
 

How can you tell if you are in worship or in Divine Service? You can tell by the actions which are taking place. Is the event one in which many people are involved as in doing something for God, like a show or action? Or is the event one in which the action is one or two people (the called and ordained clergy) acting in the stead and by the command of God? Does the event imply an action required of the participants, other than simply hearing and responding with prayers, hymns, and offerings?
 

As I often hear said of those who have come out of the “evangelical” service backgrounds, they hear the Gospel and then are chased back to the Law as they are constantly told they need to be “obedient” to God. This action is not unlike the Roman church which proclaims salvation by faith “and works.” And yet, worship is also a chasing back to the Law when it is either implied or even intended that one does something in worship because God needs something from them.
 

Divine Service, as a practice of Lutheran Doctrine, keeps the focus where it should be, on Jesus. It is the called and ordained pastor who comes to deliver the gifts to those who gather from the beginning of the service with the invocation remembering of one’s Baptism (sacrament) to the words of Holy Absolution (means of grace) to the reading and preaching of the Word (means of grace) to the giving of the Holy Supper (sacrament) to the final benediction. And it is the members of the congregation who gather to be given the gifts and to respond with their prayers offered by the pastor, with their first fruits, tithes, and offerings, and with their psalms and hymns.

The Lutheran Way - I Makes A Difference? (Last in Series 9 of 9)

(Practical Application)
 

How does all this “Lutheran Way” work in the “real” world? How does this help me in my vocation, always being ready to give a defense or answer for my faith, including what do I do when inviting someone to our church for Divine Service?
 

Evangelism takes place, not in the Divine Service which is for Christians to have a place to go every week to be strengthened in our faith, but in our daily lives as we live in our various vocations. Evangelism takes place as we are asked and as we give an answer for the hope we have especially in explaining why we do what we do.
 

So when we have someone ask us about our faith and hope, we most certainly express our faith and hope to them, but also we will most certainly do as Andrew did when approached by the Greeks. He invited them to come and see Jesus, and we would do the same, inviting them to come to the Divine Service. Now as we invite them to come to Divine Service, it is especially important we give them instructions in the Divine Service so they will know what to expect. And if they know what to expect, why we do what we do, just think about how much more they will get out of being in the Divine Service. Yes, sometimes it is a lot about the preparation and the teaching which we do.
 

When we invite someone to see Jesus, to come to Divine Service, we explain what we have been learning in these articles, that the Divine Service is God’s Service to us. We explain that our Divine Service follows what we believe. We explain the Means of Grace. We explain the way our building is set up and laid out, i.e., the cross, the font, the altar, the pulpit, the communion rail. We explain each part of the Divine Service and how they point us to Jesus.
 

Finally, we explain our care and concern about their spiritual well being is why we cannot at this time invite them to come to the Lord’s Table, but we would rejoice in their taking an instruction class to learn so that they may join us.
 

After we have explained the Divine Service, our building, and closed communion, then we can rest assured the Holy Spirit will do His part. And we can rest assured that when the do attend a Divine Service, they will also rejoice in the depth of their worship and the gifts which they are given by God through the very means He has given to give us His gifts. And they will rejoice in the lack of distractions which might point them to something other than the Means of Grace and the gifts of God instead of pointing them to their selves.
 

One of the great things about being a Lutheran Christian is the fact we are a teaching church. Much of our history has been of building churches and schools at the same time. And much of our understanding and passing on of the teachings is the heart of carrying on the faith of the Lutheran Church. It is hoped that these articles have helped you get a better understanding of why we do what we do and how we do what we do not only reflect what we believe, teach and confess but are also the teaching tools we use to teach what we believe, teach and confess. And above all it is the hope that these articles will prepare you, not only to give an answer for your hope, but words of instruction, comfort and joy in speaking not only about your faith, but about your church as well. To God be the glory!

You Are Chosen By God - October 22, 2023 - Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24) - Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

This morning we continue to listen to, be instructed by and to be encouraged by Paul. I would suggest that Paul was the first and best Lutheran theologian recorded in Holy Scripture. I say this because as we discerningly read through Paul’s letter we get a clearer understanding of the message of salvation. Paul constantly encourages us to know that we get it right when God is doing the doing and we are being done to and this morning’s words are no exception, as this morning he is especially writing words of encouragement, and even these words of encouragement focus our attention on God’s doing the doing and our being do to.
 

This morning we move to listen to a part of Paul’s first letter to the Christians at Thessalonica. He begins, “1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.” (v. 1). This is the only letter we have from Paul which is written strictly for Christian edification. There are really no spiritual problems at the Thessalonian church so Paul uses this letter to encourage them in their Christian faith and life. Paul is also writing to us here at St. Matthew Lutheran church this morning so that we might be strengthened in our faith. Paul uses two familiar words in which he packs a “ton” of Christian teaching. He says, “Grace and peace to you.”
 

When Paul says grace he is thinking of the grace of God, the undeserved mercy God has for us. And notice, contrary to how some people would define grace in our world today, such as suggesting that grace is God giving us the power to do something, Paul takes us completely out of the equation and points only to God. Grace is God’s doing, God’s giving, and our being done to and given to. The grace God has for us is that He loves us so much that He sent His one and only son Jesus to live the perfect life for us, take our sins upon Himself, suffer and die on the cross for those sins, and rise again so that through faith in Him we might have the gift of eternal life in heaven. It is grace which brings peace to us. And as we talked about last week, this is a peace which is not like any peace we have here on earth. Sure we may have some peace and quiet from time to time, but Paul is talking about the kind of peace which only God can give. The kind of peace which comes from Him. The peace which He gives us through faith in Jesus. The kind of peace which comes from the forgiveness of sins. Without forgiveness we remain in our sin and our guilt haunts us, but with forgiveness the sin is gone and the guilt is removed and we do have peace. This peace then is the peace of heart, mind, soul, and body which come from faith in Jesus, being forgiven and the promise of eternal life.
 

Paul goes on to tell the Thessalonians that he prays for them. This is not something that is unusual because in almost all of his letters Paul reminds his readers that he prays for them. In his letter to the Christians at Rome he says, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world,” (Rom. 1:8). In his letter to the Philippians he says, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,” (Phil. 1:3-5). And here in our text Paul is praying for the people because of their response of faith. He says, “2We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (v. 2). I want to talk about their response of faith as compared to our response of faith, but first I want to skip to verse four where Paul talks about their faith.
 

Paul knows that the Thessalonians and we are God’s elect. Paul says, “4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” (v. 4,5). As we talk about verse four and five, I want to remind you again, that as Paul is writing to the Christians at Thessalonica, he is writing to us also. So whenever I say that Paul is writing or speaking to the Thessalonians, know that he is speaking and writing to us. Paul says, “He, that is God, has chosen you.” I am sure that you have heard people say, “on such and such a date I chose Jesus as my personal Savior,” or “I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior.” I hope that what they mean by this declaration is that through the Gospel, that is God’s Word, through the message of Jesus’ life, suffering, death, and resurrection, that by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God they have been brought to faith, literally been given faith in Jesus. We know that as sinful human beings we cannot come to Jesus, we cannot chose Him, as sinful human beings we can only reject Him.  “No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). Notice again, Paul says, that God has chosen you.
 

And Paul goes on to say that this Gospel, God’s Word, has power. God’s Word is not a stagnant word, but is alive coming to us through our reading the Bible, through someone telling us of Jesus, and from our hearing the Word preached to us. God’s Word has power, power to show us our sins, and power to show us forgiveness and our Savior. Power to do what it says and to give the gifts God has to give.
 

Add to the power of the Word the fact that the Holy Spirit is working through that Word. Through the power of the Word the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts. That is why the Word is called a Means of Grace, because through the means of the Word and the Sacraments the Holy Spirit gives us faith and keeps us in that faith. The Word and the Sacraments are a means whereby we are given faith, are kept in faith and through which we are given God’s grace.
 

Paul adds to this string the words, “and with full conviction.” The Holy Spirit working through the power of the Gospel convinces us that we are a part of God’s kingdom. We are certain, we are convinced of Christ’s work for us. Some people think that we cannot know if we are saved or not, but Paul tells us that we can know. We can know for certain that we are saved because that is what God’s Word tells us. Thus we can say, “on such and such a date,” and for most of us that is our baptism date, “God chose me.” Actually we can all say “before He began creation, God chose me.”
 

Going back to verse three Paul says that he is thankful for the response of the Thessalonians and for our response. Paul says, “3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (v. 3). Paul’s three fold response here might remind you of the ending verse of 1 Corinthians 13, what we call the love chapter. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Here in his letter to the Thessalonians he says that he is thankful for their threefold response of faith, love, and hope. Now, how does their response of faith compare to our response?
 

Paul says that he is thankful for their response of work which was produced by faith. He says, “6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (v. 6-10). Their faith stirred in them the desire to work, spreading the Good News of Jesus. This work was truly a good work coming through faith and through Jesus working that good work in them. We respond to the faith worked in us by bearing witness of our faith to others, either verbally, or non-verbally. As we “wear” the name Christian, others look at us, hear our words and see our actions and judge Christianity according to our example. As the Lord grants us opportunity and the courage to speak of our faith and our church to others we are responding with a work produced by faith. Our natural response to faith is worked in us through the power of the Word and the Holy Spirit to do the good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do and which are pleasing in God’s eyes and give glory to His Name. We show our faith through our good works of using our time, our talents, and our treasure to God’s glory. We give of our time and talents working on committees and boards, attending Bible studies and Adult Bible class. We give of our treasure by returning to Him a portion of His many gifts to us.
 

Paul goes on to say that he is thankful for their labor prompted by love. The type of love Paul is talking about here is the Greek love agape. Agape is better translated as “a selfless concern for another person.” The Thessalonians responded to their faith by putting off thoughts of themselves and thought only of others in order to spread the Good News of Jesus. We respond to our faith by our acts of selfless concern for others. Through our giving of ourselves to help others in need we show our labor prompted by love.  
 

Finally, Paul says that he is thankful for their endurance which is inspired by hope. Paul is here specifically speaking of their endurance through persecution which is something we might not experience, at least not to the extent of the Thessalonians. But we do suffer persecution to some extent in our day and age. Our persecution may be that some of our fellow workers laugh at us behind our backs because we spend our Sunday morning in Divine Service and Bible class. But we endure through our persecution because of our hope in Jesus.
 

If Paul were writing to us here at St. Matthew today his introduction might read something like this: To the church at Westfield in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith of spreading the Gospel through the witness of your members, tracts, your ESL Program, your Vacation Bible School, your Bible study classes, the preaching of the Word and administering of the sacraments. We remember before our God and Father your labor inspired by love, your labor of visiting the sick, the shut-in, and those in the nursing homes, your labor of preparing food for bereaved families, and your labor of making people feel welcome in your midst. We remember before our God and Father your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Your endurance through good times and bad and your willingness to support your church through all times.
 

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because the Gospel came to you not simply with words preached from the pulpit, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacrament to bring each of you to a deep conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of His name. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Practice Contentment - October 15, 2023 - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23) - Text: Philippians 4:4-13

I believe that one of our biggest struggles in life is to understand and admit the difference between a want and a need. If you ever were a child and if you have ever had children, you know how it is, “I need that particular brand of cereal because if you collect the box tops you can get a free toy.”Although as I say that I am not sure if it still works that way today. Anyway we hear or say, “I need that particular dress, or pair of pants so I look good, and different, like everyone else.” “I need to new set of wheels.” “I need a new computer, the latest and greatest.” “I need the newest phone to be able to keep up.” I am told that when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone he thought every city should have a phone, one phone. Boy would he be surprised today? Do we really need to have a television in every room of the house? Does everyone really need their own phone? Of course, all these things are physical things, but I think we could agree that when it comes to the physical blessings of life all we really need is food, shelter, shoes and clothing.
 

But what about our spiritual needs? Or do we even think about our spiritual needs? What do we need spiritually? Unfortunately, when it comes to our spiritual needs, verses our spiritual wants, we tend to have an opposite view of our wants and needs than that of our wants and needs according to our physical perspective. What I mean is that when it comes to the physical blessings of life we tend to think our wants are actually needs and our needs are actually wants, but when it comes to spiritual blessings, we tend to think we do not necessarily need forgiveness of sins, to be in Divine Service and Bible class every Sunday because we think we are pretty holy and knowledgeable already. We tend to not think about our Baptism nor our need to come to the Lord’s Table to be strengthened in our faith. Indeed, when it comes to our spiritual needs, we tend to think our wants are needs and our needs are wants.
 

I mention this difference of wants and needs because in our text Paul calls us to rejoice in all things and to be content. We begin with Paul’s encouragement to rejoice in the Lord always, verse four, “4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (v. 4-7). Although we may not always see it at the time, we can know for certain that God’s will for us is always good and right. Certainly when we are having difficulties and struggles in our lives it may not appear as if God’s will is right or good, but God is love and He knows more about what is best for us than we actually do.
 

Paul encourages us to lay all our concerns on God in prayer. Of course, as we have mentioned in Bible Class and I am sure here before as well, God already knows what we need even before we ask. The reason we ask is because of our own need to acknowledge and verbalize our need, to admit before God our need. And so Paul encourages us to take it to the Lord in prayer.
 

Paul reminds us of the phrase we very often hear at the end of a sermon, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7). The peace of God is that peace of forgiveness and removal of the guilt of sin. True peace can only come from forgiveness of sins. And that true peace of forgiveness does surpass all understanding, because no one can truly understand the love that God has for us so much that He gave His life for ours and for our forgiveness.
 

With forgiveness of sins, with peace, then we can rejoice in the Lord always. What else is there to do, but rejoice, with sins forgiven?
 

Perhaps you have heard it said, that a change of behavior is one thing, but unless there is a change of heart, a change of behavior will only last so long. Paul encourages a change of heart in us and he does so by encouraging us to think good thoughts. Picking up at vers eight, “8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (v. 8-9). We are not simply to think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy, but what Paul is saying is that we are to live such things. Paul’s words are a call to action.
 

One of our first thoughts after hearing Paul might be the eighth commandment where we are reminded that we are to put the best construction on everything, or explain everything in the kindest way, which truly is contrary to our normal human nature. As sinful human beings, we always like to hear the dirt, the bad stuff. Why do you think the news media does so well? I wonder what would happen to television stations if they only ran good news and tried to explain everything in the best way? They would probably go out of business. But that is exactly what Paul is calling us to do, to put the best construction on all things, to explain everything in the kindest way, to put into practice living a life of true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy living.
 

And again, God will give us peace. True peace is not simply a few minutes of calm and serenity, but is knowing that our sins are forgiven. With sins forgiven we know we have eternal life in heaven and thus we truly have peace.
 

Finally, Paul encourages us to be content. Picking up at verse ten, “10I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (v. 10-13). Paul reminds us that in times of plenty we are to be content. Of course, in times of plenty we usually are content, or are we? Perhaps we might actually be less content in times of plenty, because when we have plenty we begin to realize that there is plenty more to be had that we do not have and so very often we are discontent and want even more.
 

Paul reminds us that in times of want we are to be content. Certainly we might surmise that those who have less might be less content, however the less we have means we may not realize there is more to have and so we might simply rejoice in what we have thinking it could be worse. Indeed, there are dangers in having too much and there are dangers in having to little. What we have may be the best of how much we have and so we are to be content.
 

Paul says that the secret of contentment is that God gives the strength to be content. My sinful nature is to desire, to covet, to lust, to want more and more. Only as the Lord has His way with me, only as I recognize that all that I do have is first and foremost a gift from God, only then can I begin to get a handle on being content, knowing and realizing that God has given me all that I truly need and in most cases for most of us more than we need and much of what we might want, although I am sure we can always want more.
 

So, what does all this mean and what does it mean for us today? First, as usual, Paul’s words remind us that when it comes to being content, we fail. We fail in that we fail to recognize that God is the one who gives all and we are the ones who are given to. Instead we tend to think that what we have we have earned or deserved and the same then tends to be true when it comes to our spiritual well being, that is that we think we have earned or deserve some of heaven.
 

Second, Paul’s words remind us that although we fail, Jesus succeeded. Jesus came to this earth, true God who gave up all the glory that was His in heaven in order to take on human flesh and blood, to be born as a human being. Jesus never owned a house, property, livestock, a car, a phone, a computer. All Jesus had was the clothes on His back and yet He was never concerned for what He might be lacking and He was content. Jesus faced the struggles, the trials and tribulations of this life, the same struggles, trials and tribulations that we face and even greater. In His poverty He had all that He needed. Through His struggles, trials and tribulations He was content. Indeed, the very reason He came to this earth, God in human flesh, God intervening in time and history, was to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus came to live perfectly for us in our place, obey all the laws and commands of God perfectly for us in our place. And then after fulfilling what we are unable to do, after living in contentment, He took our sins upon Himself, our sins of discontent as well as all our sins He took upon Himself in order to suffer and die to pay the price for our sins, because of His great love for us.
 

And now, God gives us strength. What Jesus has done for us is a completed action. Jesus has taken care of our sins. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to give us faith. God works through the means of grace to give, strengthen and keep us in faith. Justification has been accomplished and we will never add anything to what God has done for us, what He does for us and what He continues to do for us. Now that we have been given to by God, the Holy Spirit works in and through us through the means of grace to be the people God would have us to be, to be content.
 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!” How can we not rejoice when we come to see with eyes open wide that God loves us, that God gives us His all and that God has so much more He wants to give to us? How can we not rejoice when we know that God gives us what He knows is best for us and He always gives us His best, including Himself for us and for our forgiveness? How can we do anything less than live a life of faith as our Lord strengthens us through the gifts and blessings He has to give through His means of grace? And as our Lord has so blessed us while we are in this world, indeed, we continue to look forward to more gifts and blessings as we look forward to spending eternity with Him in heaven feasting on the richest of food and the best well-aged wine. Indeed, rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. To Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The Lutheran Way - It Makes A Difference? (Series 8 of 9)

(Building and Liturgy, part 4)
 

We have practiced what we have preached, and our preaching has informed our practice. What else is there? Again, going back to our entrance into the church building, the sanctuary as it is often called, the first thing we see is the cross of Christ, the focal point of our Divine Service. We see the focus of the Means of Grace as we see the Baptismal font, the altar, the pulpit and the communion rail. We see the separation of the nave, the main body of the church, with the chancel area, the place where the Means of Grace are most present.
 

What we do not see is anything that might confuse us as to what is happens in our Divine Service. We do not see anything in front of the altar, or Baptism font, or pulpit. We do not see anything in front of the cross. We do not see anything that draws our attention away from the Means of Grace and the cross of Christ. We do not see anything that might make us think we have come to be entertained or that there is any other purpose for our being in this place except to come and be given the gifts of God through the means that He has given to us to be given those gifts.
 

We may have even notice our pastor covers himself with either an alb or a cassock and surplus so that he himself is not the focus of attention. As we listen to the music, we have noticed it does not get in the way of the great depth of the hymns themselves. We may have noticed the accompaniments are just that: they are there to enhance and not draw attention to themselves. Nothing draws our attention away from our purpose for being in this place at this time, to come and be given the gifts of God so we may be or are strengthened in our faith so that we may be or are able to go out into the mission field and share what we have learned and what we believe to the rest of the world in the mission field.
 

When the Children of Israel were rescued from their bondage of slavery in Egypt, even before they entered the promised land and while they were wandering in the wilderness, the Lord gave them instructions in how to be about being His people. His instructions were often given, not to be a burden, but to distinguish His people from the pagan nations that surrounded them, as well as, how they were to inflict His righteous judgement. His instructions were often given to live and do the opposite of those around them so there would be no doubt that they were His people. Now, while we would not say Christians in other denominations are unbelievers or non-believers or even pagan, we would understand that very often what we as Lutheran Christians do, how we practice what we preach does set us off as being different, and well it should because there are many differences in our belief that do set us apart as is seen in our practice of the Divine Service. It is these differences which are seen in how other denominations practice their own beliefs. Indeed, if we were to adopt their practices, our beliefs would be seen to be the same as theirs, and often, while they may not be condemned for such, their beliefs are not necessarily completely in line with what we believe and with what God tells us in His Word.
 

Next time we will look at how this comes together in our daily lives, especially in how we speak to others, how we invite them to be a part of our confession of faith, in other words, the practical application of our faith.

The Lutheran Way - It Makes A Difference? (Series 7 of 9)

(Building and Liturgy, part 3)

Following our hearing of the Gospel, our confessing our faith, our response of faith through our first fruits giving and the offering of our petitions to the Lord we move into the Service of the Sacrament, the Lord’s Supper. Usually during the singing of the Offertory or a choral response, the pastor(s) prepare the Altar bringing the elements from the Credence Table to the Altar in preparation for consecration. The Service of the Sacrament begins with Scriptural response between pastor and congregation. It includes the Preface for the Supper, as well as, the singing of the Sanctus in which we are reminded we will be communing at the altar with all the saints in heaven, the heavenly host (sabbaoth). We understand we cannot see them nor can they see us, but we have the assurance they are with us. Indeed, what joy to know it is at this time and place we can be as close as we can while on this earth with our loved ones who have passed on into the Church Triumphant. After we have prayed the very prayer our Lord has given us to pray, the Lord’s Prayer (and certainly who can give a better prayer for us to pray than our Lord Himself?), the elements, bread and wine, are consecrated with the Words of Institution that as we are given the bread, we are given the body of Christ Himself. And as we are given the wine, we are given the blood of Christ Himself as well.
 

As the congregants come forward and are invited to the table and kneel, they are given the body and blood of Christ as He tells us, “Take eat this is my body, my blood.” Although there is nothing commanded in our being given the body and blood of our Lord, it is quite appropriate we are given His body directly in our mouths so that there is no part we have in being given His body. And it is most appropriate we partake of His blood from the common chalice as there is One Body of Christ, the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints. It is also appropriate we affirm what we are given with the confident word of “Amen.”
 

Here again our church building expresses the importance and centrality of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as the Altar is in the middle of the chancel reminding us and teaching us that Jesus comes to us through His Holy Supper. As we are taught, so we practice what we believe, teach and confess about what and how Jesus gives us His gifts.
 

Following our dismissal from the Lord’s Table and following the elements being properly put away, we continue singing the Post-Communion Canticle. Most appropriate is Simeon’s song as it rejoices in the fact that now as we have seen Jesus in the flesh in His body and blood and tasting He is good, we are ready to meet our Lord, that is, we are ready to pass on from this world, the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant, and what joy that would be at that very moment.
 

Our Divine Service concludes with the Aaronic Benediction being placed on us. The three-fold, Trinitarian benediction again reminds us of our Baptism and prepares us to go out into the mission field where the fields are white with the harvest. Having been fed with the Word and Sacrament as we have been taught and having learned what we believe by the way we practice what we have been taught, we are strengthened in our faith and are able to go out and be ready to give an answer, a defense of the hope we have in Jesus and Jesus alone.
 

From the very beginning of our walking into our church building, we are being taught the importance of Jesus, His Word, Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, the Word read and proclaimed, and His Holy Supper. At the same time we have seen how these important elements are in the Divine Service, that is, in God coming to us to give us the gifts and blessings He has to give: faith, forgiveness of sins, strengthening of faith, life (in this world and in the world to come), and salvation. We see clearly how what we believe informs how we carry out what we believe and how we rehearse what we believe teaches us the same.
 

Next, what are we missing or are we missing anything? Are we missing anything which might distract us from our being where we are? What else is there which might make a difference?

The Lutheran Way - It Makes A Difference? (Series 6 of 9)

(Building and Liturgy, part 2)
 

So far, we have entered the church building, and we have looked and seen the cross. We are taught that the cross of Christ is the focal point of our Divine Service. We have been reminded of our Baptism and have confession of our sins and heard the most beautiful words we can ever hear, “Your sins are forgiven.” We know that, as the called and ordained pastor speaks those words, it is as if God Himself is speaking. We know God’s Word effects, that is, it does what it says. We know that through that Absolution our sins are forgiven, and with forgiveness is life and salvation.
 

We have chanted God’s Word back to Him through the Introit, and after greeting us, the pastor offers a prayer, the Collect for the Day, a prayer which “collects” the thoughts of the Scripture readings we will hear into one or two sentences.
 

Now the pastor moves to the pulpit which is a symbol of the Word of God being read, preached and taught in our midst. He proceeds to read an Old Testament Lesson, an Epistle Lesson and a Gospel Reading. These readings come from a Lectionary which is a book containing a series of readings so that over a three-year span, we are able to hear a lot of God’s Word. Here again, we are taught the Word of God is prominent and most important in the Divine Service because it is through the Word that God comes to us to give us the good gifts and blessings He has to give. And so we practice this belief by having the Word of God read.
 

After reading God’s Word, depending on the order of service, either the pastor preaches a message in his Sermon or we confess our faith through one of the three universal Creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, or Athanasian). Our confession of the creed is our confession of faith and encompasses and summarizes what we believe, teach and confess especially according to the trinity of our God. After the creed or after the readings, again depending on the service, we rejoice and sing a hymn as a response to the gift of God’s Word. Our Hymns also, then, reflect our faith as they have their roots in God’s Word.
 

Following the sermon we respond once more to the gifts we have been given to by God. We respond with our first fruits, tithes and offerings by singing an Offertory verse and then by offering our prayers and petitions to the Lord. Our response of first fruits is not a collection for the poor. It is not our bringing our left overs. It is our privilege and response of faith and thanksgiving to God who has first given everything to us. Our Offerings are a response of faith showing we believe everything we have has been first given to us by God, including our gifts, talents and abilities to work, as well as, a job to work. They are also a way of expressing our faith that as the Lord has blessed us and we are returning our first fruits, He will continue to bless us.
 

The Prayers we offer are prayers for those who have requested our prayers. They are also a response to God’s desire to hear our prayers and His promise to answer. Of course, we do understand God already knows our needs. Our prayers flow from our need to express our needs to Him. Also, we know He will answer our prayers according to what He knows is best for us and according His good and gracious will.
 

So once again we are being taught the importance of the Word of God, that is, God comes to us through His Word to give us the gifts He has to give. We are taught our response of faith is important and is just that, a response because God is the one who first gives to us. So our worship in Divine Service flows out of our belief of the importance and authority of God’s Word. And the building itself, with the pulpit prominent in the chancel, teaches us of the importance of God’s Word being read and preached.
 

Next time we move to the final Means of Grace and Gods giving us His gifts through His Holy Supper, the Sacrament of the Altar.

The Lutheran Way - It Makes A Difference? (Series 5 of 9)

(Building and Liturgy, part 1)
 

What do we mean when we say our doctrine should determine our practice and our practice should flow out of our doctrine? What does that look like, shall we say?
 

As Lutherans we believe, teach and confess that God comes to us to give us the good gifts and blessings He has to give through Word and Sacrament. In particular we confess that the Word of God is the foundation of the Means of Grace. Indeed, in the beginning was the Word, the creative Word of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) as John so well reminds us. This Word of God was handed down for many centuries through oral communication. Later God gave His Word to Moses to write down in the first five books of the Bible. In the New Testament, in the Gospels we are told how that Word (oral and written promises) became flesh in Jesus. And now through the Means of Grace that Word comes to us with the authority and power to give the gifts of which it speaks.
 

The Word speaks through and gives power to the water in Holy Baptism to give us faith. That same Word is spoken by our pastor to forgive our sins through Holy Absolution. And that same Word gives power through bread and wine giving us Jesus’ body and blood in His Holy Supper for the forgiveness of sins.
 

When we walk into our church, our Lutheran church building, our focus is drawn to the cross. The cross is the focal point as all history and all Scripture focus on the cross of Christ for our forgiveness. Thus, the building focuses our attention on our faith in Jesus. And here we might make note that nothing gets in the way of our focus of the cross.
 

When we look down from the cross to the right of the chancel we see the Baptismal font reminding us that Jesus comes to us through Holy Baptism. At the same time in our Divine Service we begin with the Invocation, “In the name of the Father and of the Son ✠ and of the Holy Spirit,” reminding us of our own entrance into God’s Kingdom through the waters of Holy Baptism. Thus, our building and our Divine Service teach us that the Means of Holy Baptism is important because it is through this very means that God gives us faith, forgiveness and life.
 

Looking further down one sees the communion rail. This rail separates the chancel are from the nave. We might imagine that the nave, the main area of the church is the holy place and the chancel is the Holy of Holies as described of the temple in Jerusalem (of course there are no restrictions now in the New Testament). Our pastor kneels at this rail during Confession, as kneeling for the congregation in repentance before our forgiving God. He then rises and speaks God’s Word of Absolution and his Word is God’s Word which effects what it says, that is our sins are forgiven. Thus, we are taught that Holy Absolution is important and is the means through which God forgives our sins. And with forgiveness is life and salvation. This forgiveness is immediately following the invocation, inviting our Lord to come to us to give us the good gifts and blessings He has to give so that once we are forgiven we might move into His presence, much like the sacrifices in the Ceremonial Law (now fulfilled in Christ). Thus again, we see we are practicing what we believe, and what we believe is being taught in what we are doing.
 

After we have been forgiven we chant the Introit or entrance hymn, and our pastor moves to the altar. This Introit is usually a Psalm or part of a Psalm and includes a verse as an antiphon or introduction. Notice that this is a verse from Holy Scripture, not something made up by our pastor. We are simply speaking back to God the very words He has given us to say. Yet, not only is the Introit the very Word of God, but as we look at the entire Liturgy, we see it is permeated with the Word of God. Indeed, we worship best when we say back to God the very Words He has given us to speak. Thus, we see that we practice what we believe, that the Word of God is what effects and gives the gifts we are given, and we are taught that same truth through our practice in the Divine Service and in the layout of the Church building itself.
 

Next time we will continue to rejoice in how our building and Divine Service reflect what we believe and how we are taught what we believe through our Divine Service and the layout of our building.

Confidence in Christ Alone - October 8, 2023 - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22) - Text: Philippians 3:4b-14

When we are little, we like to think of ourselves as being big. Perhaps none of us remembers or would like to remember, going through potty training, but when we take our children through this ritual, we make a big deal of no longer having to be in diapers. What a big boy or what a big girl we are when we can manage our own toilet skills. As we grow older we continue to like to think of ourselves as being big. It is not until we get a little older and wiser that we realize it was all a trick. You know how it is. When you learn to make your own bed and you announce that you are big enough to make your own bed, then that chore becomes your responsibility. Now you have to make your own bed. The same with mowing the grass, carrying out the trash, washing the dishes. When we get big enough to do these things, they become our responsibility, our chore, and then, very often, we no longer want to be big nor have that responsibility. This morning Paul gives us some good advice concerning our being “big,” at least when it comes to thinking we are “big” in our own Christian faith and faith life.
 

When it comes to having self-confidence about one’s faith life, really no one could out do Paul. We begin by listening to him outline what might be his reasons for his own self-confidence in his faith life. We begin at verse four,  “4bIf anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless” (v. 4-6). Paul begins his bragging, his boasting if you will, by outlining why he could be confident in his own faith life, if works of the law saved. Paul was, after all, a Hebrew of Hebrews, even a Pharisee of Pharisees, a real son of the covenant. He was even out persecuting that new sect, the followers of the Way or Christians as we are known as today. If following the letter of the law brought salvation, Paul’s salvation was a shoe-in and he had reason to brag.
 

Of course, when we attempt to outline our good works, in order to show how good we are, what good Christians we are and how we are deserving of our own salvation, it just does not come out quite like Paul’s. Our self justification might include how we are not as bad as the next person. Our neighbor, our friend, our family member is so much worse than we are. We go to church on Sunday, well maybe not every Sunday, but at least every other Sunday. We give of some of our time to church, at least once in a while. We put some of our earnings into the offering basket, at least when we are in church. We really are pretty good people. We have never actually stolen anything or killed anyone. We do not have any spiritual problems. We might even surmise that Jesus only had to die only a little for me, but He had to die a lot for my neighbor. Really, we are, after all, pretty good people and does not pretty good account for something? Or so we tend to think.
 

Yet, for Paul, even though he might be able to justify himself, he goes on to tell us that all of this bragging he has done he counts as a loss as nothing. We pick up at verse seven, “7But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (v. 7-11). All these good works Paul outlines, all his education, his being a Pharisee of Pharisees, his being trained in the best schools, he counts as loss, as nothing, even as rubbish or literally as dung. When we get to heaven no one will be interested in what car we drove, what kind of house we lived in, what school we attended, what team we rooted for or whether they won or lost, how smart we were, all that will be nothing and mean nothing.
 

When it comes to attempting to justify ourselves before God, we all try. We compare ourselves to those people we know are, at least as we view them to be beneath us. We are not as bad as people who have been jailed for their crimes. We are not as bad as our neighbor who has loud parties until all hours of the night. We are not as bad as other members of our family who constantly have family problems. We are even not as bad as some members of our own congregation who are not nearly as spiritual, or religious or as holy as we think ourselves to be. And yet, Paul reminds us that all our good works count as nothing before Christ. What Paul wants us to see is that if we are going to compare ourselves to anyone in order to justify ourselves before God, then the only one person to whom we must compare ourselves is to Jesus. And of course, when we compare ourselves to Jesus, who is just and perfect and holy, then we see we always come up lacking.
 

Our right standing before God does not come from our being able to keep the law of God. For we know that we are unable to keep God’s law. If we were to attempt to justify ourselves before God by keeping the law, then we would have to keep the law perfectly, all of the law. We would have to keep the law in thought, word and deed. We would have to not sin sins of commission, doing the things we should not be doing, nor sin sins of omission, that is we would be doing the things we should be doing. And so we see we fail. Time and again we fail. We cannot keep the law perfectly and so we cannot justify ourselves before God. We are sinners. Our greatest problem is spiritual and our greatest need is forgiveness of sins. Even so Paul brings us good news. He reminds us that Christ gives us faith which means His work becomes our work, His life becomes our life. By faith in Jesus, faith given through the means of grace, Jesus’ life, all He did, His perfect living, His perfect obedience, His perfect life in thought, word, and deed, His never sinning sins of commission, His never sinning sins of omission, His life is counted, is credited to us. When we stand before God, by faith in Jesus, faith which He gives to us, when God looks at us, He sees, not our unworthiness, but Christ’s perfection as if it were our perfection.
 

What this means, that Christ gives faith, is that His righteousness becomes our righteousness. We are able to stand in right standing before God, by His grace, through faith in Jesus alone. What Christ did He did for us, and this is an accomplished act, it has already been done and completed so that nothing else needs to be done. So, there is nothing we have to do because everything has already been done for us and given to us.
 

But Paul is not finished. He reminds us that we still have a life to live, while we are alive in this world. We have a goal to press on to. We pick up at verse twelve, “12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v. 12-14). Our goal is eternal life. This goal has been accomplished, not by us, but by Christ. Eternal life is ours, now, right at this moment. Certainly we will not move into heaven until we pass on from this world, or until the Lord returns, and as you have heard me say many times, each day we live moves us one day closer and that day will be sooner than we know and sooner than we might imaging, but heaven is ours now.
 

And yet, we do not simply sit around in this world on our grace and do nothing. While we continue to live in this world we continue to press on toward our prize of heaven. Although our good works mean nothing, at least as far as earning heaven, yet while we live in this world our sin stands glaring us in the eyes. As Paul reminds us elsewhere, although we may want to do what is good and right and salutary, our nature is to go on sinning and that is what we do.
 

And so, we even more depend on Christ. He gives us faith. Faith gives forgiveness. And the Holy Spirit moves us to look forward, doing the good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. And we do them, not in any attempt to pay for or earn the gifts that are given, but as a response of the gifts that have been given. And as we are motivated by the Holy Spirit, as He works them in and through us and as they are done to the glory of God.
 

What does this mean? First and foremost, contrary to the messages of our culture and our society, contrary to the messages of the media in movies, sitcoms, books and the like, our good works avail nothing for salvation. Let me say that again just in case we miss it. Our good works mean nothing when it comes to our eternal salvation. As a matter of fact, in God’s eyes, our good works are as filthy rags. We can list all the “good” things we think we have done while here on this earth and yet none of these count as anything before God when it comes to securing our eternal salvation in heaven. As a matter of fact, if we should attempt to depend on our good works for our own eternal salvation, then they become a detriment, not that doing good works is a detriment, but our depending on them would be such.
 

It was Christ who paid the price for our sins, including our trying to use our good works as collateral. Yes, every time we have thoughts of being good enough or not being as bad as someone else, every time we think we may not need Jesus to die too much for us because we are, after all, pretty good people, every time we have such thoughts, and yes, every time we refuse and reject the gifts God gives through absenting ourselves from where the gifts are given out, Jesus paid the price for those sins as well. He paid the complete price for all sins for all people of all places of all times. His payment was so complete that nothing more needs to be done for the salvation of all those who believe in Him.
 

And even more, Christ stirs in us to be the people He would have us to be so that we do live lives to His glory. Paul points us in the right direction. Paul reminds us that we get it right when Jesus is the one doing the doing and we are the ones being done to. Which is why our desire is to be where the gifts of God are being given out whenever (always when) they are being given.
 

If anyone could boast, it would be Paul. We simply cannot ignore this fact, that if anyone, other than Jesus, could put his life up for earning eternal life it would have to be Paul. And yet, even Paul knows that this is not the case. He knows that his good works, his birthright, his persecution and affliction are nothing and mean nothing when it comes to his salvation and he even counts them as nothing. He knows and he reminds us and encourages us that it is Christ who has done all and who gives all to us. And it is Christ who motivates us in our striving in our pressing on toward the goal of eternal life. And so, I too encourage you in your own faith life and faith walk. Do not depend on yourself, but depend on Christ. Make regular and diligent use of the means of grace. Remember your baptism. Read and come and hear the Word proclaimed. Be in Divine Service and Bible Class. Have personal and family devotions. Come to confession and hear those most beautify words of absolution, “Your sins are forgiven.” Come to the Lord’s Table and eat His body and drink His blood for the forgiveness of sins and for strengthening in faith. And have confidence in your salvation because your salvation is secure in Christ. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.