A Blog of Sermons, Devotional Thought, Religious Topics, and Just fun information and thoughts from Rev. Keith GeRue
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
Between Girard and Virden Illinois
The seeing are blind, while the one who is blind can see. (Luke 18:31–43)Jesus tells the twelve that He is going up to Jerusalem to suffer and die and rise again.But they cannot understand or grasp what He is saying.The meaning of His words is hidden from their sight.However, as Jesus makes His way up to Jerusalem, a blind man calls out to Him for mercy.This blind man sees that Jesus is the Messiah-Savior; for he calls Him “Son of David.”Indeed, Jesus is the Lord’s anointed, the keeper of sheep (I Samuel 16:1–13) who goes to lay down His life for the sheep.He is the incarnate love of the Father who suffers long and is kind, who is not puffed up, who never fails us. (1 Corinthians 13:1–13)Jesus opens the eyes of the blind (Isaiah 35:3–7) to see Him not according to outward appearances of lowliness, but according to His heart of mercy and compassion.Those who behold Him thus by faith follow Him to the cross through death into life.
Collect:
O Lord, we implore You, mercifully hear our prayers, and, having set us free from the bonds of sin, defend us from all evil; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 16:1–13 [The anointing of David]
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 [The greatest of these is love]
Holy Gospel: Luke 18:31–43 [Healing of the blind man]
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The mysteries of the kingdom of God have been given to you, that seeing you would understand and hearing you would believe, that you would turn - repent - and your sins would be forgiven. If you do not understand this parable, you will not understand any parable (Mark 4:13).
This is the first lesson in the kingdom of God: [pause]
THE HARVEST COMES OF ITSELF AND IN UNLIKELY PLACES.
The Sower does not prepare the ground, nor does He sow only where a harvest could be expected. Instead, He casts His Word to the wayside, upon the stony ground and thorny patch. He pays for labor that was not performed.
He welcomes back sons who wanted Him dead. He forgives those who wasted His goods and looked after themselves. He delivers mercy to sinners.
He pours on oil and wine, pays for everything Himself, and promises to come back.
He gives everything - His most precious thing, the Life of His only-begotten - as a ransom to reconcile mankind to His Father, to bestow His Spirit. He does not give His Life only for those who will return His love. [pause] He gives His Life for all: for the good and the bad, for the right and the wrong, for the faithful and unfaithful.
He is no respecter of persons. He has come for those who are sick with sin, weary with death, for those who are haunted by old grudges and oppressed by their own lusts and greed, for those with a scandalous past and secret sins.
He comes for the unrighteous and unworthy, for those being snatched at by demons, trampled with violence, choked by worry and fear, dried up in temptation. He comes to transform them into good ground, that they would heard His Word, be forgiven and cleansed, start anew, and bear fruit with patience.
For the kingdom of God like a man scattering seed on the ground who then goes off to bed. When he rises in the morning he finds the seed has sprouted and grown, though he himself does not know how. It was not by his efforts or wisdom. While he slept the seed rose.
The earth yields it crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain. God provides a harvest. There is more to our lives than simply seeking our next meal. So also the kingdom of God comes of itself: but we pray that it may come to us also. We pray that we may learn to live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. We pray that our heavenly Father would give us His Holy Spirit so that by His grace we would believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.
Judged by the standards of men, God is wasteful. Not everyone receives His gifts. Not everyone repents. Not everyone believes. Not everyone is weary with sin and death, tormented by demons and temptations.
Some are quite content in their sins, some think vice has its noble side.
Thus are they snatched away, choked out, or dried up. They do not enter into the kingdom even though it is bought and paid for and offered up to them for free. It is wasted on them. For not every seed bears fruit. Many are called, but few are chosen. But judged by the standards of the holy angels: [pause] God is not wasteful.
He is love. He is generous, merciful, kind, patient, and eager to forgive, not shirking His duty but going as a Lamb to the slaughter, laying down His Life to make us free, rescuing us from Satan's deceptions and torture.
And if some spills over the edge, if some refused outright, [pause] it does not matter. That is what it took for full coverage. That reckless sowing was necessary to get the seed to you. All men were covered so that you would be among the elect. All men were covered that all could know God loves them, as you know [pause] God loves you.
You need have then no doubt about whether you are the elect or not. All men were reconciled to the Father in the death of the Son. All men --including you. The Sower sows His Seed that it would grow, that men would believe. Thus have you been baptized and you do believe. The Word bears good fruit in you and God Himself is pleased.
Even as a great tree, full of flowers and aroma, giving shade to the weary and wood to the builder, is hidden inside a mustard seed, so is new life, hope, and peace hidden in the Word of God. For where it takes root, is watered by Holy Baptism, fertilized with the Blood of Jesus Christ, it bears a harvest a hundredfold.
The grace God gives is greater than the sins He takes away. [pause] Nothing is wasted. For this Love, this generous and creative Word of God, Jesus Christ Our Lord, is without end. The Kingdom comes of itself. As unlikely as it might seem: it comes to and for you. It cleanses and forgives you. By it, your heart is noble and good. God keeps His promises.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lutherans are sometimes accused of being against good works, or at least not promoting them very well. After all, we're constantly harping on the fact that we're saved by God's grace alone and that good works do not make us right with God. To some that sounds like saying we can live however we please. But, of course, we're not saying that good works aren't necessary; they are. It's not the Ten Suggestions, it's the Ten Commandments we're talking about. They're not optional. God has told us to do them, and so we should. We must.
But let me ask you this: If you do good things in order to gain some earthly or eternal reward out of it, is that truly a good work? Or if you do something good out of fear that if you don't you'll be punished, is that truly a good work?In both cases the good deed is tainted, isn't it? It may be good humanly speaking, but it's not in God's sight. For with Him it's not just the outward act but what's going on in the heart that counts. Love and trust in Him is what He seeks. If heaven is the reward we get for living a good life, we're hopelessly lost; because then living a good life would end up being a self-serving thing, which in fact is the opposite of doing good before God.
Think of it this way: If you work at a job just in order to get a paycheck out of it, chances are your heart's not going to be in it. You'll do what's necessary, but you won't care about it like you should. On the other hand, if you'd work at a particular job regardless of the pay, then chances are you'll do much better work; your heart will be in it simply for the love of doing that job. It's true, we can do good work when a self-serving reward is the motivation. But we do our best work when what we're going to get out of it is not part of the equation.
So in truth, God has enabled you to do truly good works by taking the reward out of the mix. The reward is already yours before you even start working, no catch, no fine print. It's been purchased by Christ for you; it's a done deal, whether you entered the vineyard at dawn or at the 11th hour. Your reward, your eternal life in Christ is not in doubt. The denarius is yours through faith, simply by trusting Him. So now what? Now you are truly free to do the work God has given you to do from the heart, out of love for Him and love for your neighbor, without any thought of what's in it for you. All the tainted motives you might have are taken away in Christ. Fear of what might happen to you, self-serving ends no longer have a role to play since Jesus has already given Himself to you with every blessing. You are set at liberty to do good, not because you have to in order to win God's favor, but precisely because you already have God's favor in Christ, and because your neighbor needs you. In a sense you are free to do as you please. For what pleases the heart of faith is not to go back to living in the same old shallow, empty, self-serving ways, but to live in Christ, loving and trusting in God and serving others. That's why it is written that without faith in Christ, it is impossible to please God. Only in Jesus are you truly free to do good.
When we forget that, that's when we'll start to grumble and complain, like the children of Israel in the wilderness, like the laborers in the vineyard who worked all day. You only grumble and complain like that when you think God owes you, that you deserve better based on what you've done. “I've worked harder than that other guy; I've done more for the church. So I deserve better than him.” “I've lived a good life and been a good person. It's not fair that God is letting me go through this hardship.” You can only talk and think that way when you believe it's your works that run the show with God. And when your works run the show, then it's all about you, not Jesus or your neighbor in need.
The laborers in the vineyard wanted the landowner to be fair. But in fact He was more than fair. A denarius is a good and proper wage for a full day's work. That's exactly what they received. The landowner didn't stiff them. It's just that the landowner was extremely generous to the others. He treated even the ones hired at the 11th hour as if they had worked all day. You might say that it was by grace that they received their denarius. The landowner wasn't unfair but good and gracious. Besides, he had the right to do whatever he wished with His own things.
Beware of applying standards of fairness to God, as if the clay can tell the potter how to do his job. Beware, because generally the fairness argument is just a mask for promoting our own interests. That's why we love to complaint about overpaid athletes or Wall Street CEO bonuses. “They don't deserve it and we deserve more for all our hard work; it's not fair.” But God doesn't want to deal with us that way, on the basis of what's fair or deserved, as if we had a contractual arrangement with Him, a business deal. Rather, He wants our relationship to be one of love, freely given, no strings attached. As soon as it's about what we think God owes us, then we're not seeking to love Him but to use Him.
We should beware of wanting God to be fair with us, anyway, because if He were to do that, we'd be in grave danger. Those who think God should work on the merit system with them are spiritually ignorant. If you want fair wages, then here's what the Scriptures say, “The wages of sin is death.” Those who go to hell are really only getting what they asked for, namely, the just and fair payment for their faithless works. “Go your way,” the landowner said. Hell is filled with grumbling and complaining against God. I think that's part of their torment. Like someone who can't stop arguing red-faced that they're right and the other guy is wrong, the damned bitterly disagree with God's judgment and spend all of eternity suffering the anguish of growing more and more angry with such an “unfair” God.
Repent, then, of your bargaining and negotiating with God as if He were against you, as if He needed to be badgered into loving you. Turn away from your anger with Him. Trust that He is good, that He is merciful and abounding in steadfast love. He is blessedly unfair with you, pouring out on you the fullness of His grace and generosity in Christ. He loves you. He will provide you with all that you need. After all, if the Father has given us His own Son, will He not also graciously give us all that is good and necessary and right for us? Remember that the laborers who were hired later in the day went to work without being told what they would be paid, just trusting in the goodness of the landowner. So you also, even though you can't see what the future holds, even if life doesn't seem to be fair, trust in the goodness of your heavenly Father; stake your life on His grace in Jesus. Know that He will give far more than you could ever dream of.
Just like the landowner dealt with those hired at the 11th hour, so the Lord treats you as if you did all the required work, from the beginning to the ending of the day. He does that for the sake of Christ, who did all the labor for you in His perfect life and death and resurrection. What you failed to do, the Lord Jesus has accomplished perfectly on your behalf. He Himself is the true Laborer in the vineyard who brings you the generous reward at the end of the day. All the times in the parable are fulfilled in Jesus on Good Friday. Christ was handed over to Pontius Pilate at dawn. He was crucified at the third hour of the day. Darkness covered the land at the sixth hour, noon. Our Lord died at the ninth hour as the perfect and complete sacrifice for your sin; He who is the Rock was struck, and water and blood flowed forth from His side for your cleansing and your forgiveness. Finally, He was buried at the eleventh hour of the day just before sundown to sanctify your grave and make it a place of rest from which you will awaken and rise in glory on the Last Day.
It is as we prayed in the Introit, “The Lord will save the humble people, but will bring down proud and haughty looks.” Or as Jesus said, “The last will be first, and the first last.” It's not first come first served; it's first come last served and last come first served. The repentant new believer is at the front of the line while the self-righteous lifetime member is at the end.
Unbelievers seek a God who is fair. Believers seek a God who is merciful and gracious. Believers know that it is only by grace that they are even in the vineyard, no matter how long they've been there. They consider it a privilege and an honor to be able to contribute to the health and the growth of the vineyard. They are not jealous of the newcomer or of the one converted in his dying days, but they rejoice that the same mercy that saved themselves has also saved another. Even a faithful lifelong Christian recognizes that of himself he deserves nothing and that it is only because of Jesus that he has forgiveness and life. As it is written, “The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) And again, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Let us then be truly full of good works by trusting in the grace of Christ alone to save us. Or as St. Paul puts it, let us run in such a way as to obtain the prize of life with Christ, which He Himself has won for us. Let us run with the certainty of faith, setting our hearts on Him, disciplining our bodies and minds, filling them with His words and His life-giving body and blood. Come and lay hold of the denarius Christ earned for you–not because it's owed; but simply because it is His good pleasure to be generous and loving toward you.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
February 2 (Presentation of Our Lord)Zechariah 12:1—13:9; Titus 1:1—2:6
February 3 Zechariah 14:1–21; Titus 2:7—3:15
February 4 Job 1:1–22; John 1:1–18
February 5 Job 2:1—3:10; John 1:19–34
February 6 Job 3:11–26; John 1:35–51
SEXAGESIMA
The Sower sows the Seed of His Word. (Luke 8:4–15)This Word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:9–13) to conceive new life in those who hear it.But the planting of Christ is attacked by the devil, the world, and the flesh.Satan snatches the Word away from hard hearts.The riches and pleasures of this life choke off faith.Shallow and emotional belief withers in time of temptation and trouble.But see how Christ bears this attack for us!Christ’s cross was planted in the hard and rocky soil of Golgotha.A crown of thorns was placed upon His head.Satan and His demons hellishly hounded and devoured Him.Yet, through His dying and rising again, He destroyed these enemies of ours.Jesus is Himself the Seed which fell to the ground and died in order that it might sprout forth to new life and produce much grain.In Him the weak are strong. (2 Corinthians 11:19 – 12:9)He is the Word of the Father which does not return void (Isaiah 55:10–13) but yields a hundredfold.
Collect
O God, because You know that we dare not put our trust in anything that we do, mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Old Testament:Isaiah 55:10–13 [The Word accomplishes its purpose]
Epistle:2 Corinthians 11:19–12:9 [Boasting in infirmities]
