Proper 4 - June 1, 2008

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Friedheim

10653 N – 550 W
Decatur, IN 46733
260-547-4248

www.zionfriedheim.org

A 21st Century Parish with a 1st Century Faith
Acts 2:42

Celebrating our 170th Year
Chartered February 25, 1838

June 1, 2008
Proper 4
Matthew 7:15-29
Stability in a Storm

“Lord God of all nations, You have revealed Your will to your people and promised Your help to us all. Help us to hear and do what You command, that the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light.”

Introduction: This passage does not deal with the construction of houses but, for that of the lives of people. It is saying we should build our lives on the rock of Christ rather than on sand of men. This passage concludes the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest collection of Jesus’ teachings. The question may have come to Jesus’ mind: Will the people obey their teachers or will they resume their old way of life? It becomes a concern of obedience.

These words of the Savior do what a sermon conclusion should do: it is a call to put the Word into action through obedience. Obeying the Law will not gain a right relation with God. Jesus asks for more than lip service. He calls for life service by obeying His teachings. The one who does it will have the security and stability of a house built on rock when the floods come.

He who hears and obeys is like a man who builds his house on rock. Then the storms of life will not wash him away. The results of obedience are stability and security. Two men stand in a storm. On which foundation will we build? We need to be certain from the outset that we have the right foundation. Thus the Gospel for today raises the question, Who will stand in the Judgment?

1. The foolish man — built on sand — vv. 26, 27. “And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” Reason for his foolishness: he heard but did not obey. Consequence: destruction. How is this carried out? Are there certain dangers? There is the danger of lip service without life service. There is the danger of confession without expression.

A. It is not the one who stands on a mere outward performance of Christ’s Word. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Vs. 21)

B. God requires not merely an outward performance of His will but the proper fear, love, and trust in the heart.

C. Many may say, “Lord, Lord,” preach and teach in Christ name, and perform mighty signs to whom Christ will say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers” (Vs. 23)

D. Now is the time for each of us to examine whether the outward performance of our Christian lives is motivated by a true fear and love of God.

Transition: It is not the one who stands on a mere hearing of Christ’s Word while building his life on another foundation. Only one foundation is acceptable to God – actually doing His will. When Christ preaches His Word, the response He seeks is not just hearing but incorporating the Word at the center of one’s life, committing one’s entire destiny to it, and making it one’s foundation.

2. The wise man — built on rock — vv. 24, 25. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Reason for wisdom: heard and obeyed. Consequence: stability, security, safety. Entrance into the Kingdom. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Vs. 21)

A. Those who hear Christ’s Word but choose another foundation on which to build their lives will be washed away in the deluge of His judgment.

B. Now is the time for us to probe our hearts to see if we are merely hearing Christ’s Word while building our lives on another foundation.

C. Certainly the one who stands on the solid foundation of Christ’s hearing and doing the will of God for him will stand in the Judgment.

D. Christ did the will of His Father in heaven. He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law so that all people have a basis for standing in the Judgment.

E. Christ carried the cross to the rock called Golgotha and there pounded out His blood so that all may stand on the rock of His forgiveness.

F. God the father has proclaimed that His Son’s punishment is completely sufficient and has lifted the sentence of eternal death from every person.

G. The Holy Spirit now delivers the Father’s verdict of “not guilty” in Christ to all hearts through His Good News, offering them the certainty that in Christ they can stand in the Judgment.

Conclusion: Examine today the basis on which you expect to stand in Christ’s judgment. There can be only one foundation. Stand firm and confident in Christ’s perfect obedience for you as He has suffered and died – for you – He is your foundation. Standing firm in Him you have a foundation on which to build.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Time in the Word - Proper 4 - May 26-31 2008

Obedience to God’s Word
Proper 4
May 26-31- 2008

Obedience comes through loud and clear in the Old Testament and Gospel lessons for this coming week. In the Gospel, obedience to Jesus’ words and doing God’s will constitute entrance into the Kingdom. To obey or not to obey is the issue of the Old Testament lesson. The Epistle may give us a challenge. It appears to contradict the other two lessons. This contradiction may be solved by understanding that obedience follows salvation rather than causes it. The Prayer of the day deals with the theme of obedience. The Psalm and hymn of the week are connected to the Gospel reading. The Gospel is a continuation of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount. As we enter a Memorial Day weekend we include prayers for our armed forces as petitions for peace in our time.

Collect for Proper 4 – Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all good things, instill in our hearts the love of Your name, impress on our minds the teachings of Your Word, and increase in our lives all that is holy and just; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Monday, May 26, 2008 – Psalm 92:12-15 - This is the Psalm portion from which the Introit for next Sunday is taken. The antiphon is taken from verse 5, “How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!” The thoughts of God are measured by His righteous deeds. They are profound and deep. They are found in the deep mysteries of the faith, the cross and tomb of Christ.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28 – Obedience to God’s Words brings blessing. – Life or death depends on obedience to God’s laws. The farther society gets away from God the more secular it becomes. Secularism is that view of life that ignores God in life. It lives as though God did not exist. Secularism sucks the spirituality out of society. In this passage, Moses calls upon the Israelites to put God in every area of life, every day and in every way. No one at any time can escape the presence of God. This is related to obedience. In a secular world, obedience to God cannot be a factor, for God is not there. In a sacred world, God is central and we live in harmony with God’s will.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 – Romans 3:21-28 – Obedience to God’s Word results from grace – A person is justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God is not received by works of the Law, but by faith in Christ. This is the first of 16 lessons from Romans. The passage is a good summary of the book of Romans. Prior to this lesson, Paul explained that both Jews and Gentiles are sinners and that obeying the Law of God cannot result in justification. Our salvation depends upon the grace of God in Christ. It becomes a personal possession by faith in Christ. Since the righteousness of God comes as a gift and not by works, we have no reason to be proud of ourselves.

Thursday, May 29, 2008 - Matthew 7:21-37 – Obedience to Jesus’ words brings security. He who obeys the words of Jesus enters the Kingdom of God. They who obey Jesus’ words build their lives on rock. For the balance of the church year, the Gospel is taken from Matthew. Today’s pericope is the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount. It does what a sermon conclusion should do: a call to put the Word into action through obedience. Obeying the Law will not gain a right relation with God. Jesus asks for more than lip service. He calls for life service by obeying his teachings. The one who does it will have the security and stability of a house built on rock when the floods come.

Friday, May 30, 2008 – Psalm 4– This Psalm is suggested for next Sunday. A liturgical Psalm asking for the Lord to direct and guide His people.

Saturday, May 31, 2008 –Matthew 7:24; 16:24; 16:18 – These passages from Matthew are the inspiration for the hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” {LSB 575} one of the great hymns of the church.

A Prayer in times of War – O Almighty God, You alone can establish lasting peace. Forgive our sins, we pray and deliver us from the hands of our enemies that we, being strengthened by Your defense, may be preserved from all danger and glorify You for the restoration of tranquility in our land.

A Prayer for the Armed forces of our nation – Almighty God, Lord of hosts, stretch forth Your almighty arm to strengthen and protect those who serve in the armed forces of our country. Support them in times of war, and in times of peace keep them form all evil, give them courage and loyalty. Grant that in all things they may serve with integrity and honor.

For peace in our world - Heavenly Father, God of all concord, it is Your gracious will that Your children on earth live together in harmony and peace. Defeat the plans of all those who would stir up violence and strife, destroy the weapons of those who delight in war and bloodshed, and according to Your will, end all conflicts in the world. Teach us to examine our hearts that we may recognize our own inclination toward envy, malice, hatred, and enmity. Help us, by Your Word and Spirit, to search our hearts and to root oupeace with all people. Fill us with zeal for the work of Your Church and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone can bring that peace which is beyond all understanding.

Sources:
THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL © 1940 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LUTHERAN WORSHIP © 1982 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LUTHERAN SEVICE BOOK © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LECTIONARY PREACHING WORKBOOK SEREIS A John Brokhoff (c) 1980 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH

Proper 3 - May 25, 2008

Matthew 6:24-34
Contentment – it’s such a difficult thing!

Let us pray to the Lord:

“Fear not I am with thee, Oh, be not dismayed; For I am thy God and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by My righteous omnipotent hand.”[1]

In His Sermon on the Mount; from Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus' central theme is the single eye concept. This is like a game of ball. If you take your eye off the ball, you will lose the game. When you are crossing a stream on a log, you will fall into the water if you look down at the water flowing beneath you, but if you center your eye on some distant object, and steadily move toward it, you don't see what is below your feet, and you can cross safely.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the one object on which our eye must be centered. The single eye concept means we have our eye fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ. If we take our eye off from Christ, we start to look at ourselves, the flesh, and things of the world, and we will fall.

The verses directly preceding our text talk about the love of money. In Verses19-20 we read, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." Our mind must be centered on this concept.

Matthew 6:22-23 explains what we might refer to as the single eye concept. "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye is single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" Jesus is speaking of this principle when He says we cannot serve two masters.

Says the Savior in our text, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.” Jesus tells us not to worry or at least about anything long term. That all sounds very pious one could say, and yet, reality seems so different. It’s all very well, for us to be told to be like the lilies of the field or even the birds of the air.

But we live in today’s world. It’s as if there is so much to be concerned about these days - paying the mortgage, college tuition, affording gas for the fleet of cars in our driveway, dealing with illness, the trials of being young or old. Are these not enough? Don’t we go to church to get comfort? If the pressures and cares of daily life are not enough, today’s readings bluntly inform us that the Kingdom of God is our first concern.

And if we don’t have enough to worry about all by ourselves, our television sets daily, even hourly, suggest other worries and stresses. If a person from outer space sought to evaluate human life by watching television advertisements, the impression would be that we are chronically ill and completely dysfunctional.

That is exactly what Jesus is saying. Man left to himself is chronically ill and completely dysfunctional. Thanks be to God who doesn’t bargain with us. Jesus starts this section by telling His hearers to get their priorities right. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Thus the Savior encourages us to rely completely upon Him.

1. God demands our complete allegiance (v.24) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”.

A. God the Owner of everything.

1. He claims us in order to benefit not Himself but us.

2. He demands our complete allegiance. We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.


B. Mammon is a false god, which also demands our exclusive loyalty.

1. Mammon is wealth personified. The goods entrusted to us by God become the god in whom we trust.

2. When mammon holds sway, our primary concern becomes the accumulation of earthly possessions.

C. Divided allegiance is impossible. “No one can serve two masters”

1. We will have to serve one over and against the other.

2. Which takes the top priority in your life?

Transition: God demands our first allegiance. When we worry we give way to the power of wealth.

2. Worry gives evidence of mammon’s sway (Vv. 25-30) 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

A. Mammon says, “Get more!”

1. We worry that we will not have enough.

2. That is so unlike the birds; they work but never worry about accumulating for the future.

3. It is also pointless; worry cannot prolong our lives a moment.

B. Mammon replaces God, who has already given us “more”

1. He has given us life and body, which is “more than” foot and clothing.

2. He has given us His Son that we might live with Him forever, body, and soul.

3. Should we not trust Him for the food (we are of more value than the birds) and clothing (we are more important than flowers) and anything else we need?


C. Worry, therefore, is evidence that we do not always trust God above all things;
it points to the littleness of our faith.

1. We need to confess our sins of worry, and a lack of dependence upon the Lord.

2. Our prayer needs to be that of the disciple who prayed, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”[2]

Transition: God demands our first love. Worry gives evidence of its influence in our lives. Yet God still demands to remain first.

3. God is to hold sway in our lives (Vv.31-34) 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

A. We live as children of a heavenly Father.

1. The primary concern with material goods is a pagan trait.

2. We trust the heavenly Father, who provides for all our needs. Consider the 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. The Fourth Petition Give us this day our daily bread.

3. What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

4. What is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.[3]

B. We seek God’s rule and righteousness.

1. Our primary concern is for these spiritual needs.

2. We trust God to provide them.

C. We live one day at a time.

1. We experience God’s help to meet today’s problems.

2. We trust Him for tomorrow’s needs.

Conclusion: Trust the Savior who has said: Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.[4] Take Peter’s advice when he said Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.[5] These are not pious and lofty thoughts. This must be your reality.
[1] How Firm a Foundation stanza 3 from The Lutheran Hymnal © 1940 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
[2] Mark 9:24
[3] 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer Lutheran Service Book pg. 324
[4] Luke 12:32
[5] 1 Peter 5:7

Girl's Weekend May-23-26-2008

Lydia and Tammy will be traveling to Interlochen, MI to take in graduation and the arts weekend and then off to Chicago...it will be interesting to see where Lydia's roomate Pei-Ting from 2006-2007 and a number of her friends end up this fall.

Lutherhaven - Henry's home away from home this summer

Henry will be working at Lutherhaven this summer supervising the junior servants and working on the maintenance crew.

Time in the Word - Proper 3

Time in the Word
Obedience to God’s Word
Proper 3
May 19-24 2008

F

For the remainder of the Pentecost season, we have three independent routes: the Old Testament Lesson, the Epistle Lesson, and Gospel. The Old Testament Lesson deals primarily with the Patriarchs and Moses, the Epistle Lesson with Romans, and the Gospel with Matthew. The Psalm of the day usually harmonizes with the Epistle Lesson; the Prayer and Hymn of the Day with the Gospel. Instead of marking Sundays after Trinity we now deal with Sundays within a given week.

To try to find a unifying theme for the Lessons and Propers would do an injustice to the passages. Pentecost is a wide-open field for preaching because it gives the preacher wide latitude of sources and subjects.


Collect for Proper 3 – Eternal God, You counsel us not to be anxious about earthly things. Keep alive in us a proper yearning for those heavenly treasures awaiting all who trust in Your mercy, that we may daily rejoice in Your salvation and serve You with constant devotion; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Monday, May 19, 2008 – Psalm 62:1-2; 11-12 - This is the Psalm portion from which the Introit for next Sunday is taken. The antiphon is taken from verse 8, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him.” This Psalm is an appeal to God for the Lord to uphold him. No other Psalm surpasses it in expression of simple faith in the Lord.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - Isaiah 49:8-16a – These words are quoted by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2 The background of this verse is probably the year of Jubilee. It was under Joshua that the land had been divided among individual tribes and families. The Messianic servant will be a new Joshua – as well as a new Moses which echo Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and her desert experiences under Moses during the period of the exodus. Isaiah is speaking of the redemptive work of the messiah who will bring about the day of salvation and establish His covenant with His church.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 – Romans 1:8-17 –Paul begins his letter to the Romans and as is his custom he begins with a thanksgiving. The Christian must go through Christ not only for requests to god but also to give thanks. By the time Paul writes to the Romans the Gospel has already been spread around the known world. Verses 16-17 will become the theme of the entire book of Romans.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 - Matthew 6:24-34 – These words of the Savior are taken from the Sermon on the Mount. In these verses the Savior teaches us not to worry but in every circumstance we commend ourselves to the Lord. [See Sunday’s sermon outline.]

Friday, May 23, 2008 – Psalm 115:1-8– This Psalm is suggested for next Sunday. The Psalmist praises the Lord, the one true God for His love and faithfulness toward His people. It is composed as a liturgy of praise for the temple worship. In these opening verses the people begin with their praise to the Lord.

Saturday, May 24, 2008 –Matthew 6:19-34 – Is the inspiration for the hymn “All depends on our possessing“{LSB 732} Taken from our Gospel lesson for tomorrow our sermon hymn reminds us that the Lord not only directs our path but we are to place our complete confidence in Him. Our possessions may possess us if we place our confidence in things and not in the Lord.

A Prayer for humility – O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Grant us true humility after the likeness of Your only Son that we may never be arrogant and prideful and thus provoke Your wrath but in all lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of Your grace.

A Prayer for renewal – Almighty God, You gave Your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon Himself. Grant that we, Your adopted children by grace, may daily be renewed by Your Holy Spirit.

For Agriculture - Almighty God, You blessed the earth to make it fruitful, bringing forth in abundance whatever is needed for the support of our lives. Prosper; we implore You, the work of farmers, especially in this planting season. Grant them seasonable weather that they may gather in the fruits of the earth and thus proclaim Your goodness. May we see by this noble vocation that by Your aid we are helping to feed the world and cause all who give thanks over their food to treat those who produce it with honor and respect.

A prayer before we study the Word – Almighty God, our heavenly Father, without Your help our labor is useless, and without Your light our search is in vain. Invigorate the study of Your holy Word that, by due diligence and right discernment, we may establish ourselves and others in Your holy faith.

Sources:

THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL © 1940 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LUTHERAN WORSHIP © 1982 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LUTHERAN SEVICE BOOK © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LECTIONARY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES A © 1980 John Brokhoff CSS PUBLISHING LIMA, OH.

Trinity Sunday - May 18, 2008

May 18, 2008
TRINITY SUNDAY
Matthew 28:16-20
A Whole God for the Whole World!

Let us pray to the Lord:

Lighten Thou our darkness. Be Thyself our Light; Strengthen Thou our weakness, Sprit of all might. in Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.[1]

INTRODUCTION; In the Great Commission, Jesus takes a world view of His mission. He sends His disciples out to win all nations by bringing them into a relationship with the whole deity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

A single Christian will often see only his congregation. A local congregation sees only its community. People need to see that Christianity is a worldwide movement. In like manner, we seldom deal with the whole Trinity. Usually we deal with Christ only to the neglect of Father and Spirit. It takes the whole person to bring the whole God to the whole world. Today we consider: A whole God for the whole world.

The wholeness of our religion —

1. The whole world for a whole God — v. 19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

A. The task the Lord has given us — making disciples of “all the nations.” This is not an option. It is a divine mandate. These are our marching orders. We are in the disciple making business. The Lord directs us to reach out into the world.

B. Authority to win the world — v. 18, “Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” This authority comes from the Savior Himself. It was given to Him by the Father. Jesus who lives and rules over heaven and earth has been given authority by His Father. But His authority we go out into the world. We do not go it alone. He leads, we follow. We speak and move and act under His authority.


C. The methods the Lord has given us are two — baptizing and teaching — vv. 19, 20. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

1. Baptism. Again we’ve witnessed a Baptism this morning. Baptism brings us into the family. It is our entrance into the Kingdom of heaven. It connects us to the Father and to each other.

2. Teaching. On of the chief reasons of having a Christian Day School such as Wyneken. We are obligated to teach the word as we connect our children to the living Word in Baptism. Such tasks are not always easy. It takes commitment and sacrifice. It involving ourselves in teaching is not always comfortable – yet the Lord bids us “feed My sheep; shepherd My lambs”[2] and again He tells us, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these you have done it unto Me.” [3]

TRANSITION: The wholeness of our religion involves the whole world for the whole God. We also find the whole God for the whole world.

2. The whole God for the whole world — v. 19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

[See PP. 322 - 323 of the Lutheran Service Book]

A. God the Father — He is the Almighty God our Creator. The entire vast universe was spoken into existence by our creator in six days – or shorter yet – ten phrases. All that we have comes from His sustaining and guiding hand. Notice how Luther explains it in the His explanation of the 1st Article.

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

B. God the Son — He is the Almighty God our Redeemer. Listen again to Luther’s explanation of the 2nd Article as we answer the questions of WHO, WHAT, HOW & WHY…

WHO IS THIS? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.

WHAT HAS HE DONE? Who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil;

HOW DOES HE DO THIS? not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death,

WHY DID HE DO THIS? that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.

C. God the Spirit — He is the Almighty God our Sanctifier. The explanation of the 3rd Article tells the story of our salvation. What does this mean?

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.
On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.

This is most certainly true.

CONCLUSION: The whole God for the whole world is the Lord’s program for His creation. It is His world view of His mission and His work. He sends His disciples out to win all nations by bringing them into a relationship with the whole God; Father, Son, and Holy Sprit.




[1] Holy Spirit, Hear Us stanza 5 The Lutheran Hymnal © 1942 Concordia Publishing House St. Louis, MO

[2] John 21:15-17
[3] Matthew 25:40