Pr. DFD

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Reformation Observed notes

Revelation 14:6–7
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19–28
John 8:31–36 or Matthew 11:12–19

The Son of God Has Set Us Free from Sin and Death by His Grace

“Wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19), and the true Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son, has justified us by His deeds. He prepares His way by the preaching of repentance, but He has suffered the violence of the Law and voluntarily handed Himself over to violent men, that we might eat and drink with Him in His Kingdom and “remain in the house forever” (John 8:35). He is “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:18–19), and He has rescued us by His grace from the slavery of sin and death.

By the proclamation of His eternal Gospel “to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people” (Revelation 14:6), “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (Romans 3:21), “that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

And by the hearing of that Gospel of Christ Jesus, “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25), “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

Collect for Reformation Sunday: Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

"O God, Your infinite love restores to the right way those who err, seeks the scattered, and preserves those whom You have gathered. Of Your tender mercy pour out on Your faithful people the grace of unity that, all schisms being ended, Your flock may be gathered to the true Shepherd of Your Church and may serve You in all faithfulness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen"

Matthew 11:12-19

Context John is in prison, world attacking the kingdom of the heavens,

Matthew 11:12

ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,[a] and the violent take it by force.

a Or has been coming violently

“From the time of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens suffered violence.” The kingdom - Makes its way advancing with violent force. And violent men have seized it. How does it come. Not by what we think, through violence done to him. Forcibly treated can be taken middle or passive. The kingdom suffers violence. It has been violently attacked by violent men, the flesh, and Satan.

Matthew 11:13

πάντες γὰρ οἱ προφῆται καὶ ὁ νόμος ἕως Ἰωάννου ἐπροφήτευσαν·

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,

“For all the prophets and the Law prophecies until John.”

Matthew 11:14

καὶ εἰ θέλετε δέξασθαι, αὐτός ἐστιν Ἠλίας ὁ μέλλων ἔρχεσθαι.

and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

“And if you want to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

When you hear John you hear all of the prophets, it comes to its finger John and the head Christ.

Matthew 11:15

ὁ ἔχων [a]ὦτα ἀκουέτω.

He who has ears to hear,[b] let him hear.

b. Some manuscripts omit to hear

“He who has ears to hear let him hear.”

Hear what he just said, listen to what he will say. Avoid the theology of glory. NOT BY DOING BUT BY RECEIVING this is a passive thing.

How does the Christian suffer today? We still suffer violence by the big three although not seen.

Matthew 11:16

Τίνι δὲ ὁμοιώσω τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην; ὁμοία ἐστὶν παιδίοις [b]καθημένοις ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς ἃ προσφωνοῦντα τοῖς ἑτέροις

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,"

“To what will I liken this generation? It is like two small children.”

Matthew 11:17

[c]λέγουσιν· Ηὐλήσαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε· [d]ἐθρηνήσαμεν καὶ οὐκ ἐκόψασθε·

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

“We played flute for you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge you did not mourn!”

Matthew 11:18

ἦλθεν γὰρ Ἰωάννης μήτε ἐσθίων μήτε πίνων, καὶ λέγουσιν· Δαιμόνιον ἔχει·

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

“John came neither eating or drinking he had a demon.”

Matthew 11:19

ἦλθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, καὶ λέγουσιν· Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης, τελωνῶν φίλος καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν. καὶ ἐδικαιώθη ἡ σοφία ἀπὸ τῶν [e]ἔργων αὐτῆς.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”[c]

c. Some manuscripts children (compare Luke 7:35)

“The Son of man came and you said he's a glutton and wine drinker a lover of tax collectors and sinners.”

When law was preached you did not repent when gospel preached you did not receive it.

Repent = contrition and faith.

But wisdom is proven by actions. JESUS is this wisdom of God.

John 8:31-36- speaks of the freedom we find in the Truth of Jesus Christ. All of us were born into slavery-the slavery of sin. But Christ has set us free from our bondage by His atoning sacrifice. The One who declares, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life' tells us here that the Truth shall set us free. The Truth has set us free: the Truth which embodied in Christ Jesus and the Truth which He declares to us in His Word. We are free, indeed!

John 8:31

Ἔλεγεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους· Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μού ἐστε,

Jesus began to say to those Jews who had believed in Him if you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples.

Who makes up the crowd? This is the simil both sinner/Saint

John 8:32

καὶ γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς.

Then you will know the truth and the truth will free you.

What is "freedom"? To know is to perceive it in a believing way. A deeper kind of knowing the truth. Not the weak knowing of Adam/Eve. They knew evil but did not have intimate understanding of evil. This knowing is to possess Jesus.

John 8:33

ἀπεκρίθησαν [a]πρὸς αὐτόν· Σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ ἐσμεν καὶ οὐδενὶ δεδουλεύκαμεν πώποτε· πῶς σὺ λέγεις ὅτι Ἐλεύθεροι γενήσεσθε;

They answered to him, we are the sperm of Abraham how can you say you shall be made free?

Irony they are children of the promise while he is the promise. See John, "do not presume to say we have Abraham as our Father,"

John 8:34

Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας·

Jesus said, I say to you ALL the ones who do sin are each individually slaved OF sin.

SEE Romans 6 Jesus changes from external to internal slavery.

John 8:35

ὁ δὲ δοῦλος οὐ μένει ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· [b]ὁ υἱὸς μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

A slave has no permanent place in the family. But a son belongs to it forever.

"Into the age" you remain in the house by being a son. See Galatians 3:26-29

John 8:36

ἐὰν οὖν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ, ὄντως ἐλεύθεροι ἔσεσθε.

So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.

This freedom comes at a price. The price of Christ's blood. That freedom is forgiveness.

____________

Luther’s Seal © Higher Things

Luther's Seal copyright Ed Riojas Higher Things

Saturday, October 17, 2026

October 17 – Saturday prior to Pentecost 21 (Proper 24)

Psalm 145:1 -Our reading is the inspiration for tomorrow’s sermon hymn; “Before the Lord We Bow” an appropriate hymn for this week’s theme “Nations under God.” In this hymn we praise God who rules the world and is boundless in power and love. Truly we serve a God who governs the affairs of men who will judge the world with righteousness and equity. Having read these lessons here are a few points to ponder. Is it a true statement that the Lord has already judged the world? If so when and how? When Christ returns in glory what will be the sentence rendered?

This hymn written by Francis Scott Key, best known for “The Star-Spangled Banner” has made its way unto scores of hymnals. Stanza one reads as follows:

Before You, Lord, we bow,

Our God who reigns above

And rules the world below,

Boundless in pow’r and love.

Our thanks we bring

In joy and praise,

Our hearts we raise

To You, our King!

A prayer for our nation: Almighty God, You have given us this good land as our heritage. Grant that we remember Your generosity and constantly do Your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, and an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Grant that we, who came from many nations with many different languages, may become a united people. Support us in defending our liberties, and give those to whom we have entrusted the authority of government the spirit of wisdom, that there may be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, may our hearts be thankful, and in troubled times do not let our trust in You fail;[1]

Friday, October 16, 2026

October 16 – Friday prior to Pentecost 21 (Proper 24)

– Matthew 22:15-22 - Religious leaders attempt to trap Jesus by asking him whether taxes should be paid to Rome. The religious leaders came to Jesus with a trick question that no matter how he answers, he is in trouble.

Pharisees and Herodians come to him with the question whether taxes should be paid to the Roman government. The Pharisees would say, “No”; the Herodians would answer, “Yes.” If Jesus said one should not pay taxes, he could be arrested as a subversive and revolutionary. If Jesus said one should, he would be in trouble with the patriotic Jews who hated Roman dominance. Jesus recognized that the inquirers were hypocrites and that they came to find occasion to have him arrested. His answer caused his enemies to marvel at his answer: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

We have a tendency to put state and church into water-tight compartments. We separate church and state to the extent Christians often surrender the state to politicians and devote their time and talent to the church. A Christian needs to understand and act in the light of the fact that he is a citizen of two kingdoms, with responsibilities to each.

Jesus used a coin to answer the question of paying taxes to Rome. On the coin was the image of Caesar and his inscription as the supreme and divine being. What belongs to Caesar should be given to Caesar says Jesus. The coin of commitment to Caesar requires our payment of taxes, our service and obedience to the laws of justice.

The coin of commitment to Christ, the king of kings requires of tithes and offerings, our service and obedience to the law of love. As Jesus used this method of as a suffering servant to effect change so we too follow in His wake.

A prayer for guidance; Heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being, we humbly pray You so to guide and govern us by Your Word and Spirit that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget You but remember that we are ever walking in Your sight; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. [1]

Thursday, October 15, 2026

October 15, Thursday prior to Pentecost 21 (Proper 24)

– 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5a -In our Epistle lesson for this week Paul greets the Thessalonians and thanks God for their faithful service of faith and love. This is the first of a series of readings from the book written by the Apostle Paul.

With respect to the Gospel lesson for the week – The Thessalonians render to God what God deserves. As for the Old Testament lesson; as Cyrus was chosen, God chose the church of Thessalonica. (Vs. 4) 1 Thessalonians is Paul’s earliest letter from Corinth ca. 50 A.D. He was writing to a Gentile congregation. Accordingly, he refers to their turn from idols to God, to their deliverance from sin through the cross and resurrection, and to their hope for Jesus’ return. In these opening verses, Paul thanks God for their faith, love, and hope. They prove that God has chosen them through the gospel which he preached. Moreover, they imitated the example of Paul and thus they became examples to the other churches.

The fruit mentioned above indicates that the Thessalonian Christians were chosen by God to be His people. How did these people become people of faith, hope and love? Paul says it was the power of the Word which be brought. The gospel was proclaimed in a dynamic way, not only in word but in power and with conviction.

In short, Paul in his introductory remarks thanks God for these Christians in Thessalonica. Do we today every think of thanking God constantly in our prayers for the church? There is good reason to thank God for the church today. Take time this day to thank God for the church because of her work of faith her labor of love and her endurance in hope.

Lord we pray that Your grace may always precede and follow us that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen [1]

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

October 14 – Wednesday prior to Pentecost 21 (Proper 24)

Isaiah 45:1-7 -In our Old Testament lesson a pagan ruler, Cyrus, is chosen by God as His instrument. The Lord uses a nation to fulfill His purposes in this world. In God’s hands lies the destiny of nations. The Old Testament reading and the New Testament reading for this coming week are closely connected. From His cross, as the Lord’s anointed, Jesus reigns as the true Caesar over all nations “from the rising of the sun and from the west” (Isaiah 45:6). The Lord once called and anointed Cyrus “to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings” (Isaiah 45:1). Now by the preaching of the Gospel, “in power and in the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:5), foreigners from all over the world are “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10)

Isaiah's good news might be paraphrased thus: "Whom would you rather have in charge of even the dark realities of the real world: gods created by human hands and human culture (including those we create today), or the God who loves you and who will give himself to you and for you in whatever way it takes to set you free?" Isaiah (and the Old Testament world) will not resort to atheism to explain the hard realities ("Stuff Happens!"), but neither will he yield to a simplistic formula of "If it happened, God did it."

There is only one God, but that God works through the forces of creation and through the agency of human beings (like Cyrus). Because they are real, both God's natural world and God's human world might revert to the chaos God seeks to overcome though God's continual work of liberation, but liberation and redemption remain always God's "purpose." Sometimes getting to God's goal will entail "woe" and "darkness" (not least, the woe and darkness of Good Friday) but "weal" and "light" remain the goal (not least, the light of Easter's dawn).

This coming Sunday when the Gospel reading includes the "render unto Caesar" line (Matthew 22:21), our text reminds us that God has worked and will work through "Caesar" (or Cyrus). Whether or however we talk about God's "two kingdoms," that can never mean there is one "kingdom" where God rules (church) and one that God leaves to Caesar (politics).

Cyrus is a remarkably active divine agent in our text. He is called to be the means of God's deliverance. But Isaiah refuses to allow him to be merely a pawn. Cyrus, too--though he did not know God (45:4)--was meant to come to know that he was called by God (45:3).[1]

[1] http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1003

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

October 13 – Tuesday prior to Pentecost 21 (Proper 24)

Psalm 96:1-9 - This Psalm is appointed for next week. The key verse is verse 7b “Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”

In the context of the entire psalm, we are to recognize and to declare the glory and strength that belong to God in all His being. When we give unto the LORD these things, we do not give or attribute things to Him that He did not have before. We recognize things as they really are, because God is full of glory and strength.

The meaning of the Hebrew word for worship is to prostrate oneself, not to praise God for his attributes, which is what the English word worship means. But here we must note that although the meaning of the Hebrew word differs from the English word, the Hebrew understanding of worship nevertheless also involves giving God praise for his attributes. That is what is being said here. Here the nations of the world are told to give God glory.

Fall colors should be at their peak, the climax of seeing the vast creation in all of its beauty and splendor. The creation speaks of the majesty of the Creator. Today, ascribe the to the Lord the glory that is seen in the majesty of His creative hand.

Collect for Psalm 96: Lord Jesus, the incarnate Word, when you consented to dwell with us, the heavens were glad and the earth rejoiced. In hope and love we await your return. Help us to proclaim your glory to those who do not know you, until the whole earth sings a new song to you and the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen[1]

Monday, October 12, 2026

October 12 – Monday prior to Pentecost 21 (Proper 24)

Psalm 121:1-4, 7-8 - The Antiphon for this coming Sunday is from Vs. 5 of Psalm 121; “The Lord watches over you- the Lord is Your shade at your right hand.” Under the theme “Nations under God” this Sunday’s readings deal with God and the world.

God rules the world. His glory is manifest among the nations. The Antiphon reminds us that the Lord is watching. How does that make one feel? We seek after Him who grants us grace which is found in the second half of the phrase “He is Your shade at your right hand.”

The LORD is your keeper.

The LORD created both the heavens and the earth. He created the sun and the moon. He is sovereign over the sun and the moon and will guard you, his faithful pilgrim exposed to these created elements, as you make your way to the Celestial City; the city of God, heaven.

The LORD will keep you. Don’t be afraid. He will keep you strong in joy, keep your eyes focused on him, will keep you devoted to him, keep you loving him, and keep you persevering in him. He is the keeper and guardian of your soul.

The promise of being kept by the LORD is echoed in John 17 when Jesus prayed for you in his high priestly prayer to the Father, “All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me.”

In John 10, Jesus also declared, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” The LORD is your keeper. Don’t be afraid.

Collect for Psalm 121: Lord Jesus Christ, You have prepared a quiet place for us in you Father’s eternal home. Watch over our welfare on this perilous journey, shade us from the burning heat of day, and keep our lives free of evil now and forever. [1]