Love Builds Up - January 28, 2024 - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - Text: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Have you ever played the game called “Trivia Pursuit”? Actually, today there are many such “trivia” games, games in which you are challenged in what you know about different areas of pop culture, television, movies, and life in general. Perhaps for us Christians, one of the most humbling “trivia” games is one in which our Bible knowledge is challenged. Of course, we understand that Bible knowledge is not “trivial,” and at the same time we also understand that knowledge simply for the sake of knowledge is not the goal of God’s Word either. We even have the warning from James that reminds us that the devil knows the Bible, probably better than many of us know our own Bibles, yet he is still condemned. Salvation is more than mere head knowledge or trivia knowledge. In our text for today, Paul speaks to us about our Bible knowledge, but even more, he speaks to us about how we live and love according to God’s Word.
 

Concerning knowledge Paul says, “1Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But if anyone loves God, he is known by God” (v. 1-3). In essence Paul is making a distinction between what we might call head knowledge and what we might call heart knowledge. He tells us that the problem with head knowledge alone is that it puffs up, in other words it often makes one think more highly of themself. Heart knowledge is knowledge that thinks more of others than oneself.
 

True knowledge, which we may define as head and heart knowledge together, has its roots in being known by God.  Now, did you notice how this is stated in our text, not in our knowing God, but in our being known by God. Do you remember as a child, being out on the playground and it was time to pick teams to play a game. When your best friend was one of the captains, you wanted to be on his or her team. You actually chose, for yourself to be on their team. Of course, that did not matter. What mattered was that they chose you to be on their team. Most of us have heard the exhortation, by some, to choose Jesus as our personal Savior. Perhaps we might change that exhortation to fit the language of our text and say, we should know God. But go back and look at the text. The text runs the exhortation the other way. Instead of our running the show, God is running the show. Instead of knowing God, we are exhorted to be known by God. More important that our choosing God is His choosing us. And He has chosen us, even before the foundations of the world were set, even before He began creation our Lord chose us to be His people. And to me, that understanding gives me much more comfort for the simple fact that I cannot depend on myself and my choice, but I can be most certain when God is doing the choosing and especially when He has chosen me.
 

God has chosen us. He has revealed Himself to us through His means of grace and He gives us true knowledge of Himself. Thus, true knowledge is not simply knowing God but being known by Him. Even the Psalmist and the writer of the Proverbs tell us that, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
 

True knowledge, then, might rightly be defined as using knowledge rightly. True knowledge is knowing with your head and engaging your heart in order to think, say, and do what is meet, right and salutary. Some have defined wisdom in this way, that is that wisdom is the right use of knowledge.
 

Now that Paul has given us some background on knowledge, he moves on to give us a concrete example of what he means. And his example is what he is dealing with among the Corinthians. Paul moves on to speak about idols, “4Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—6yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (v. 4-6). First, Paul reminds us that although there are other gods (notice, small “g”) meaning idols they really are nothing. An idol is not a living being. An idol is a figment of one’s imagination. An idol is a false god that needs, even demands the undivided attention of the idolater. An idol can do nothing on its own, it depends on its idolater to do everything for it, feed it, move it, and so on so that indeed the idolater is truly the false god of the idol worshiper.
 

So, on the one hand there may be many gods (small “g”), but there is only one true God. The only one true God is the God of Holy Scripture who has revealed Himself to us as God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The only one true God is our God who has shown Himself to us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ who is true God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and true man, born of the human woman, the Virgin Mary. The only true God is our God who is Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. To reiterate Paul’s words, all other gods (small “g”) are nothing.
 

So, how do we use our knowledge correctly. Paul continues, “7However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (v. 7-13). Paul is encouraging us to always err on the side of grace. Paul is speaking of this thing we call adiaphora. Adiaphora means something that is neither commanded nor forbidden. So, exercise of knowledge in the area of adiaphora on a personal basis is okay. In other words, if I want to have some wine with my meal at home, then that is certainly okay.
 

However, exercise of knowledge in the area of adiaphora in public, which may be a stumbling block to those weaker in faith is not okay. In other words, to use Paul’s example, for a person who has come from a background of worshiping idols, to see us eat meat sacrificed to an idol, could cause them to stumble in their own Christian faith life, thus we would refrain from such eating for the sake of their spiritual well being.
 

The bottom line for Paul and for us is that the right use of knowledge is being guided to care for those weaker in faith. So, the right use of knowledge may mean our own abstaining for the sake of another.
 

What does this mean? This means that we want to get our knowledge right. We get our head knowledge right and we do that in the only way we can do that, through the means of God’s Holy Word. Here again, I encourage you, I exhort you, make regular and diligent use of the Word of God. Read the Bible on your own. Have personal and family devotions. Come to Divine Service and to Bible class. Divine Service is where we come to hear the Word of God exhorted and expounded, even proclaimed. Bible class is that place where we have the opportunity, not only to hear the Word and grow in our faith and knowledge, but we also have the opportunity to ask questions, to discuss issues, especially questions we might have concerning our culture and the relationship of the culture and our own Christian lives. Bible class is the place we have to ask those questions our coworkers always asks us and we are not sure how to give an answer.
 

Not only are we to get our head knowledge right, we are also to get our heart knowledge right. Our heart knowledge is how we live our head knowledge. Our heart knowledge guides us to rightly living according to God’s good and grace will.
 

We rightly exercise our knowledge when we realize that we cannot rightly exercise our knowledge on our own, but only with the help and by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we attempt to exercise our knowledge on our own we tend to do so in the way Paul suggests in our text, in the way of being puffed up instead of in the way of building up. Remember, our nature is to sin. Our nature is to run knowledge in the way we would like to run knowledge, not in the way our Lord would have us run knowledge. We would run knowledge in the way of thinking more highly of ourselves, at least until we should meet someone who would have more knowledge than we have, of course, then we would humble ourselves, but only to the one with more knowledge. We would run knowledge in the way of lording it over others of “less” knowledge, at least according to our understanding of their having less knowledge.
 

We rightly exercise knowledge when the Lord runs our knowledge. We rightly exercise knowledge when we are guided by the means of grace. We rightly exercise knowledge when we are guided by the Lord to make regular and diligent use of the means of grace; when we are guided to come and be given the gifts our Lord has to give and to be given these gifts through the very means He has of giving them, namely through the means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments. We rightly exercise knowledge when the Lord works in and through us to do the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do and when they are done to His glory. We rightly exercise knowledge when we confess, not that we have chosen God, but that He has chosen us, that we are known by Him, that He gives and we are given to.
 

And thanks be to God, that even as we fail to rightly exercise knowledge, we are always reminded that there is forgiveness. This does not give us an excuse to sin, but it gives us the freedom to not be afraid of living. The Old Testament reading for this morning pointed to the One who would come, namely the prophet, Christ Himself. The Gospel reading also points to this same person, namely Jesus Christ who was the one to come and who showed Himself through the signs, wonders and miracles He performed to be the Messiah, the Christ, even God in human flesh. Jesus is the one who not only shows us how to rightly exercise knowledge, but rightly exercised knowledge for us, in our place. He is the One who is always with us to help us to rightly exercise knowledge even today. And rightly exercising knowledge is love which builds up. Finally rightly exercising knowledge is forgiving others as we ourselves have been forgiven. And we know that with forgiveness is life and salvation and to that we say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The Time Is Short - January 21, 2024 - Third Sunday after the Epiphany/Life Sunday - Text: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (32-35)

Can you believe it, we are already 21 days into 2024. We are almost through one month of this new year. Time has a way of getting past us. As children we may have thought that time took forever to get here, time for this or time for that. As adults, especially the more we have to do, the faster time seems to move. There is nothing we can do to stop time, it keeps coming at us, faster and faster. One person once described our traveling through time, not as our moving through time, but as time swiftly moving at us. We are born today, and we die tomorrow. We are here on this earth for a relatively short period of time.
 

Time is short especially when compared to eternity. Eternity is forever, no beginning and no end. Our lives on this earth have a beginning, and that is at our conception, and our lives have an end, usually less than 100 years later. We are mortal, which means we do die, at least our bodies die. And do not be fooled, just because some people may live to be a hundred, there are just as many and even more who die at birth, or are even murdered before birth. Indeed, from the moment of conception we are destined to die.
 

In our text Paul tells us that we are to live as if we had no wife, as if we did not mourn, as if we were not happy, as if we did not purchase things that belonged to us, as if we were not engrossed in the things of this world. Notice that he does not say that a man should not have a wife, nor that a person should not mourn, or not be happy, or not purchase things, rather he says we are to live as if we do not have these things. Paul is trying to direct our attention away from the unimportant things of this world to the important business of being prepared for our eternal life.
 

Paul tells us that this world in its present form is passing away. How well we know the truth of that statement. We are constantly reminded that we live in a cursed world, by earth quakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, snow storms, wars and rumors of wars, terrorism all around, we are even told that the sun is burning up, that everything is getting worse. As Christians we realize that because of the curse after the fall into sin the whole world has been groaning waiting for the Lord to return and create a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
 

What does all this mean? Paul was writing shortly after Jesus ascension and he believed that Jesus would return very very soon. Paul and all the Christians of his day were expecting Jesus to return during their life time. Paul did not realize that Jesus would wait over 2000 years and more to return. But let us not lose our context. When we compare 2000 years to eternity we realize that even 2000 years is a very very short period of time. Paul is right when he reminds us that Jesus will return soon which means that even more so now, as we are 2000 years into the future from Paul’s day, should we heed his words today.
 

Because Jesus will return soon, Paul tells us to live as if we had no wife, as if we did not mourn, as if we were not happy, as if we did not purchase things that belonged to us, as if we were not engrossed in the things of this world. What does Paul mean by telling us live this way? He means that we are not to wrap ourselves up in the anxiety or the enjoyment of this world, but keep our eyes focused and fixed on the hope of eternal life. Marriage, tears, joys, purchases, the whole world of earthly things, we Christians may have all of them, use all of them, experience all of them, for what they are, as belonging to this present world. What Paul says is true: as soon as we go beyond this limit and permit any or all of these to interfere with our spiritual life and our relation to the life to come, a false power reaches into our lives and begins to ruin them.
 

Time is short. This world is going down hill, ever since the fall into sin things have been getting worse. Even evolutionist tell us that the world is getting worse, not better. Watch the news, listen to the radio, read the paper, we are here for a very short period of time.
 

Last week we were reminded that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We were reminded especially of two sins, gluttony and immorality. We were reminded that over eating is a sin just like any other big or little sin. We were reminded of the boundaries God gives us, good boundaries because He loves us and wants to keep us safe. And yet we were reminded how too often those good boundaries are despised by the world as barricades to our freedom or perceived freedom. We were reminded of our responsibility and privilege to speak up and speak out against the immorality of this world even if it means being labeled intolerant and perhaps even being persecuted or even jailed.
 

Two weeks ago we were reminded of our “duty” to struggle and fight against temptation and sin. We were reminded of what true grace is, not God giving us the ability to do something, not our choosing, accepting or making a decision for Jesus, but the fact that God has chosen us, that He has called us, that He gives us faith, forgiveness and eternal life. Indeed, to suggest that anything needs to be added to grace means it is no longer grace, but what has been added. Grace is grace plus nothing.
 

Today Paul continues to encourage us in our faith life especially reminding us that our focus is to be heavenward, not earthward and that we cannot do both for we will either love this world or the world to come. Paul’s words may sound rather harsh. He tells us that a person’s first duty is to the Lord and no earthly duty should get in the way of that first duty.  All the matters mentioned should not be the end and aim of existence. We do not wrap ourselves in the enjoyment of this world, but we keep our eyes focused and fixed on the hope for eternal life.
 

Paul is telling us that marriage, tears, joys, purchases, the whole world of earthly things, we Christians may have all of them, use all of them, experience all of them, but with the warning that we are to use them for what they are, as belonging to the schema, σχμα or form of this present world. The things of this world belong in this world. The things of this world are only for this world and we must be vigilant about making this distinction. Paul’s words remind us that as soon as we go beyond this limit and permit any or all of the things of this world to interfere with our spiritual life and our relation to the life to come, a false exousia, ἐξουσία (6:12b) or power reaches into our lives and begins to ruin them.
 

Indeed, Paul’s words are so true and can be seen so well in our world today. The things of this world have so taken the attention of the people of this world that every Sunday morning more and more people find something they believe is more important than being in the Lord’s House to be given the eternal gifts He has to give. And just as you have heard me say before, when the preacher preaches about sin in general that is okay, but when he starts preaching about my sin, then he is meddling and so I will meddle again this morning. What is happening in our world today is that every Sunday morning more and more people believe it is more important to be at a ball game, fishing, hunting, at the lake house, on the golf course, or anywhere except in the Lord’s House where His gifts are being given out. It is as if we believe we really are good people, that we have not sinned too much and so we do not need too much forgiveness. “No gifts for me this week Lord, I’m okay.” Sometimes I wonder if our attitude comes from the fact that we do not really believe the Lord will return during our own lifetime. We are kind of like the rich man in the parable who tore down his barns and built bigger barns with the idea that today I will eat, drink and be merry and tomorrow I will worry about my soul. If we remember that parable, Jesus says that very night his soul was required of him.
 

One look at the obituary section of the newspaper, which I believe is now called the life tribute section will remind us that from the moment of conception we are destined to die. Which reminds us that even if the Lord does not return during our own life, we will pass on and go to Him. Either way, we will stand before Him and I would suggest as I always do that day will be sooner than we know and sooner than we might image. So we would do well to heed, not my words, and really not Paul’s words, but God’s Word which says that we are to not let the things of this world get in the way of our spiritual well being, as we often do.
 

The good news, however, as was stated last week, and is stated every week, is that there is forgiveness. All the sins which we commit and even those we have yet to commit have been paid for by Jesus on the cross. The forgiveness is there. The problem is when we refuse and reject that forgiveness, which we do when we fail or refuse to confess. Remember, with confession comes absolution. The forgiveness is there so that all we can do is reject it and indeed Satan puts all kinds of temptations in our way, the things of this world, so that we do reject the gifts God gives.
 

With confession is absolution, the forgiveness of sins and with forgiveness we know is life and salvation. Indeed, our greatest need is this forgiveness of sins, and God has it for us in abundance. His grace, His forgiveness always outweighs His law. What great joy comes from sins forgiven and the certainty of heaven.
 

Time is short, Paul reminds us. This world in its present form is passing away. Therefore we are to live our lives focused on our prize of eternal life with our Lord in heaven because of Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross because of His great love for us.
 

Time is short and so I encourage you, focus your attention, not on the things of this world, at least not so much that you become anxious about your lives in this world. Instead, focus on what is important, getting yourself ready for heaven. Focus on making regular and diligent use of the means of grace, those means through which the Lord works to get you ready for heaven, those means through which the Lord works to give you faith, forgiveness of sins, strengthening of faith, life and salvation. As the Lord helps you in getting your focus right, you will notice how your anxieties will melt away. As Paul says in the last verse of our text: “I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord” (v. 35). To Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

United with Christ - January 7, 2024 - The Baptism of Our Lord - Text: Romans 6:1-11

This morning we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Just yesterday we celebrated the end of the Christmas Season and I hope everyone celebrated until January 6, which was Epiphany. Yesterday we celebrated the revelation of the Messiah, Christ the Lord, the Savior of the world, to the Gentile Magi from the East, or the wise men as they are called, as they came to the house where the toddler Jesus was staying. This visit reminded us of the fact that the Messiah was promised to all people, of all cultures, of all places, of all times. This morning we fast forward some twenty-eight years as we begin our trek, once again, to the cross, the focal point of this child’s birth.
 

Paul is writing, using one of the techniques he often employs in his writing, that is that he is writing asking and answering possible questions his opponents might be asking. We begin at verse one, “1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (v. 1-2). So, in essence Paul is asking, “Is God’s grace an excuse to sin?” The logic is that if we sin there is more grace so we should sin more so that grace may abound more. Or perhaps as you have heard it said, “sin boldly.” Of course, here we see what happens when we let our logic, our failed human logic, get in the way of the gifts God gives. Paul explains the illogic of this reasoning in that we are not to go on sinning because we have died to sin.
 

Paul explains further with the his explanation of the great gift of Baptism and being Baptized with Christ. We pick up at verse three, “3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (v. 3-5). Here we see the illogic of human logic, again fallible human logic, that baptism is something we do simply in obedience to God’s command, that is that we get baptized in order to show God that we have accepted Him or that we have dedicated our lives to Him and that this action, this work is a sign of our obedience. Here in our text we see baptism as it is, a sacrament, a means of grace, a giving from God to us. Here we see that God is the one who is doing the doing, doing the giving and we are the one’s being done to and being given to. Through baptism we are given. We are given faith and it is this faith that grabs hold of and makes the rest of the gifts that God gives ours.
 

To be baptized means to be washed. To be baptized also means to be drowned. In our baptism we are drowned, we are literally killed. Our old sinful nature, our old Adam is drowned. In our baptism Jesus’ death becomes our death. Through His baptism Jesus identifies with us, doing what we need to do in order that He might be our substitute. In our baptism we identify with Jesus, giving Him our sins and being given His identity. Thus, through baptism, we identify with Jesus in that His death, His eternal death and hell becomes our death, which is the penalty we owe for our sins.
 

But there is more, it does not stop with death, thanks be to God. Not only does Jesus’ death become our death, but more importantly, Jesus’ life becomes our life. Here again we see this complete substitutionary role Jesus plays. He came, not only to die for us, but also to live for us. Thus, when God looks at Jesus on the cross, He sees our sins. When He looks at us He sees Jesus’ perfection.
 

And as we know, Jesus did not stay dead, but He rose from the dead. Here, once again, through the waters of Holy Baptism, through Jesus completely identifying Himself as us, through His substitutionary role, His resurrection becomes our resurrection. When Jesus rose from the dead, we rose from the dead. Death and the grave have no power over Jesus. Death and the grave have no power over us. By faith in Jesus, given through the water and God’s name placed on us at our Baptism, we have been united with Jesus such that His work is ours and our sins are His.
 

But Paul is still not finished. He goes on to remind us that we yet have a life to live in this world. We pick up at verse six, “6We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (v. 6-8). Paul reminds us of the fact that remains. We are slaves and we always will be slaves. We will either be slaves to sin or slaves to Christ.
 

We were slaves to sin, notice the past tense, we were. We were conceived and born in sin. Our sinful nature shows itself in our propensity to sin. Our natural desire is to sin, we do not even need practice. We do not even need to think about it. We do sin and unfortunately, we often sin boldly. We sin in thought, word and deed. We sin sins of omission, not doing what we should be doing and sins of commission, doing what we should not be doing. Yet, Paul reminds us, our old sinful self was crucified in Christ. By faith in Jesus, with His help we can and we do overcome temptation and sin. Certainly there are times that we yet fail, but, again, with God’s help we do win. So, again Paul reiterates, if we have died with Christ, we also are alive with Him. It is Christ who gives us the strength and power to overcome.
 

Paul concludes with words of our own assurance of eternal life. We pick up at verse nine, “9We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (v. 9-11). Christ was raised from the dead, never to die again. Jesus did what He came to do, identify with us, live perfectly for us in our place, obey all of God’s laws and commands perfectly, fulfill all of God’s prophecies and promises completely, take our sins upon Himself, suffer and die for those sins, substitute Himself for us and die. And He did. He died. He died the eternal death penalty of hell, the price for sin, for us in our place. He died a physical death, which is also a consequence of sin and which awaits each one of us. Yet, Jesus did not stay dead, but He rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death.
 

By faith in Jesus, faith given to us through the means of grace, we are identified with Jesus so that He becomes us and we become Him. By faith in Jesus, then we will never die. We will never die the eternal death of hell which He died for us, in our place. Certainly, we may die a physical death, that is, unless He returns first. Yet, we are reminded that eternal life is ours now. Eternal life is a present reality. We have eternal life, thus we need have no fear of death.
 

And please notice, Jesus’ death was once, for all, for all people. Jesus does not die again. He is never re-sacrificed. Jesus will never die again. And so, we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
 

What does this mean? This means we continue to live under God’s grace, His undeserved love for us. Even when we get confused, even when we get it wrong, He still gets it right. Thus, we have the constant reminder to let Jesus be Jesus in the way He shows Himself to be. You have heard me say it before, but it bears repeating, we get it right when we get right who is doing what. As we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, we celebrate His identifying with us. We celebrate His subsitutionary atonement for us. And we look to our own baptism as His gift to us as well. Thus, by grace, God gives. God gives through the means of grace, through the Word, that is through Holy Scripture, as well as through the sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and we would also include as a means of grace, confession and absolution. Through these very earthly means our Lord gives us faith and this faith is what takes hold of and makes all the other gifts and blessings the Lord gives ours as well, forgiveness, life and salvation.
 

Yes, through means our Lord gives faith and also through means our Lord works to strengthen us in faith. Faith is not something that is stagnant, but is alive and growing, or it begins to die and backslide. One cannot remain at one place in one’s faith life, for either we are growing in faith or we are losing faith. Thus, here again we see the importance of making regular, every day and every week and diligent, always, use of the means of grace, remembering our baptism, attending Divine Service and Bible class, coming to the Lord’s Supper and confessing and hearing those most beautiful words of absolution, “Your sins are forgiven.”
 

Because, through these means, through faith, our Lord also gives eternal life. Think in terms of an eternal perspective. Our lives in this world are but a moment, a breath, a twinkle of the eye compared to our eternity in heaven and yet, unfortunately so often we spend most of our earthly life fretting about this world instead of making sure our lot in heaven is secure. Of course, our eternal lot is secure, by grace, through faith in Jesus. Heaven is ours and it is given to us. Yes, the Lord does it all and gives it all and we are done to and are given to.
 

I know you hear me continue to speak of making regular and diligent use of the means of grace and I will continue to encourage you in such manner. I do this because if we look at our lives we notice that, as Paul says in our text, we are Christ’s and we are slaves to Him and yet, we do continue to sin, to refuse and reject the gifts the Lord gives. So, I will continue to encourage you to be a slave to Christ, to continue to be given and done to as the Lord gives and does to you, regularly and diligently, remembering your Baptism, confessing and hearing that your sins are forgiven, reading your Bible, attending Bible Class, having personal and family devotions, partaking of the Lord’s Body and Blood in His Holy Sacrament, so there is never any reason to fret about your eternal inheritance. And so that ultimately we may all say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.