What is preaching? St. Paul writes in Romans: “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14-15)
Therefore our Lutheran Confessions state: “It is also taught among us that one holy Christian church will be and remain forever. This is the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel.†(Augsburg Confession VII:1-3)
There are 256 posts filed in Sermons (this is page 22 of 86).
A: Religious liberty is the right to live, practice and worship according to one’s religious beliefs. It is a liberty guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Q: Is our religious freedom really being threatened?
A: Nearly two centuries ago, the founders of the Missouri Synod came to the United States seeking religious freedom. Like immigrants from many nations and many faiths, they found that freedom under the First Amendment of our U.S. Constitution. Today, however, that precious freedom is being eroded, and we must speak out now to preserve the right to live — not just worship — according to the teachings of our faith.
Religious Liberty: Free to Be Faithful was created as a response by LCMS leaders to increasing intrusions by government into the realm of the church. Recent examples of such intrusion include attacks on the biblical definition of marriage; orders allowing for same-sex “marriage” ceremonies on military bases; and requirements that social service agencies with governmental contracts consider same-sex couples as potential foster care and adoptive parents, even if such practices violate church teachings under which the agencies operate.
The tipping point was the inclusion of a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as the health-care reform act, requiring the health plans of many religious employers to cover birth control drugs and procedures, including those that can cause the death of an unborn child. This provision is causing a conflict of conscience for many religious employers and individuals.
It is important to note that the LCMS takes no position on PPACA as a whole, for that is a matter for government, not churches, to decide. Our concern as Lutheran Christians and citizens of the United States, is to distinguish carefully between responsibilities God entrusts to the church (e.g., Matt. 28:19; Gal. 6:10) and those responsibilities He entrusts to governing authorities (e.g., Rom. 13:1–6; 1 Pet. 2:13–14). As a Christian church, our concern at this time is to retain the freedom to put our faith into action, backing up our verbal witness to the Gospel with deeds of love and compassion that are obedient to God’s Word. At the same time, as Christian citizens, we accept our responsibility to support with prayer, respect and taxes the work that government seeks to accomplish.
Q: What can I do?
A: Because we are on the cusp of national, state and local elections, the LCMS encourages all members to follow their consciences and sound reason in supporting candidates, legislation, and social and political efforts they believe would improve society and safeguard our precious religious liberty.
Here are some things you can do:
\t
Pray for our country, for our president and other officials, for those who serve in the armed forces, and for all those who work to preserve freedom, peace and justice in this and every place (1 Tim. 2:1–2).
\t
Educate yourself about the many issues that our country is facing and the positions of parties and candidates.
\t
As you gain further knowledge on the issues, participate fully in the political process, and let your representatives know that these issues are important to you.
\t
Engage in informed, respectful discussions with friends and family, always being prepared to
give an account for the sure and certain hope of eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus — a hope that no earthly event or power can undermine (1 Pet. 3:15).
\t
Be sure to exercise your right to vote this November.Q: Is this something the church should be speaking about? What about the doctrine of the two kingdoms?
A: Lutherans affirm Scripture’s teaching that God rules and works in two different ways in different “realms” or “kingdoms.” God rules and works in His church through His Word and Sacraments, through which He creates and strengthens faith in Jesus Christ and love for one’s neighbor. God rules and works in the world He created and in secular human societies through earthly authorities and laws. Human laws benefit society when they reflect both the law that He inscribed onto the human heart and His gift of human reason.
As Christian citizens, we are called to fulfill the duties of citizenship. It is our responsibility as individual Christians to participate as fully as possible in the political system according to consciences formed by God’s Holy Spirit. While the church is not called by God to exercise political authority, it is incumbent for the church to proclaim and bear witness to “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27b ESV). The “whole counsel” includes God’s will in such areas as care for the poor, marriage and family, sexuality, and the preservation of human life at all stages of development. The discussion of such issues in the public realm offers Christians a unique opportunity for careful reflection on God’s will and design as they seek also to be responsible Christian citizens.
Q: I would like to learn more about this. Where can I find more information?
A: Visit www.lcms.org/freetobefaithful to get information and resources for church and home use. The LCMS’ “Religious Liberty: Free to Be Faithful” campaign serves to arm church leaders and lay members with Synod resources for taking informed action to protect the freedom of religion.
30. September 2012
St. Michael and All Angels
Matthew 18:1-11
God has constituted His creation in a wonderful order for two reasons. One, that we would love our neighbor as much as ourselves and two, that we would love God with our entire being. This is why asking “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” is a totally bone-headed question from the disciples. This is why asking “who is the greatest in the family?” is also stupid. This is why asking “who is the greatest at Grace Lutheran Church?” is the wrong question. All these questions seek to elevate yourself as greater than other.
God does not care for greater or lesser. He loves all equally, whether old or young, influential or peon, wealthy or poor, Indiana or Illinois native. The only-begotten Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, since all are sinners and all are in need of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
This does not mean that there is no distinctions in this world nor that our world is ordered by God. Not all are given to be civil leaders, politicians, or business owners. Some are called to be citizens and workers. This is God-ordained and this is for our good. It is also the same for the home. Being the head and father is not a matter of power but a matter of God-given authority for service. It does not mean that dad is more important or more saved by God. It simply means God has given to dad special duties and responsibilities for the blessing of the family.
But we sinners are always concerned about our identity. We jockey for the best position at work. We do what we can to outpace the Joneses. We always thank God we’re not like the other guy. We distinguish ourselves by age, economic status, race, and other worldly standards. We care what others think of us, especially if it makes us look better.
This is why gossip is on our tongues. We see to destroy our neighbor’s reputation not because we care about them. No, not at all. We ruin them so we look better in contrast. This is why we desire our neighbor’s stuff, his wife, or even his life. We desire what is theirs not to help them support and keep it but that we might have what they do not. And so it goes. We do not love our neighbor as much as we love how God has made us and supported us.
All your sins against your neighbor—whether greed, gossip, hatred, theft, civil disobedience, and adultery— are fundamentally sins against God. God gave you authorities including your parents not to belittle you but to protect you and care for you. God gives life as a blessing to care for family, church, and world. God institutes marriage as the locale for life-giving, for the raising of these children, and because it’s not good than man be alone. He orders the cosmos with rain and sun and all we need so that we may be equipped to love Him and the neighbor He has given us. He gives us the gift of speech to live together, support each other, and most importantly communicate the Gospel. God rejects greed because it is unbelief that God has given you exactly what you need in every way.
We do not like hearing that God actually gives to some more and to others less. We despise God for giving authority to some and not to others. We hate that we cannot be the final arbiter of life, both when it is given in the womb and when it becomes too difficult to manage. As the current political debates make evident, some would rather have a government that is the great leveler, making all equal. This is fundamentally disordered and chaotic. If life, the universe, and everything is all about you, then ultimately you care nothing for the neighbor and despise the station where God place you.
The church is not immune to struggles against order. Just as the world and the family, it is ordered for the giving of the Lord’s blessings. All receive justification through Jesus’ shed blood equally and fully. When it comes to salvation, there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free. All are children of God and inheritors of heaven. Yet, not all are given equal authority. The church is ordered for the giving of blessing. St. Paul says it this way:
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Eph 4:11–16)
According to St. Paul, the order of authority in the church is given that we would grow into mature faith through sound teaching for the work of service. The goal is the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. That is, all being joined to the head, who is Christ, would grow in Him to be like Him, full of grace and truth. “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Who is the greatest in the family? Who is the greatest in the church? All wrong questions.
For your sake, Jesus gives you an example: And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Dear Christians! Humble yourselves before your God and Father. Turn from your idolatry of self, your desire to get ahead or take what is your neighbors, and your hatred of authorities. Repent, that is, turn and become like children. Submit yourselves to God and His Word. Obey your parents and leaders. Love your neighbor. Use what God has given you for service. Submit to God’s ordering of things.
Christ Jesus did not leave us in the disordered state of sin but has redeemed us with his shed blood, purchased and won us from captivity to death and devil, and promised to us the blessings of eternal life. This is the greatest blessing and reorders our world. He has once again ordered you as children under the heavenly Father.
All approach the rail, kneeling like children, humbly receiving the life giving food of Christ’s body and blood. Knowing this eternal truth, we free not to quibble about whether we have or have not, are in charge or in submission, free to speak or bound to listen, and the like. Our reward is certain in Christ and we are free to live now in the station where God placed us.
Jesus says, “whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones to believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Better for him! It is absolutely imperative, in Jesus’ own words, that we care for the unity of the faith in this place. It is disorderly and contrary to our calling to abide by false doctrine. When someone preaches, teaches, or lives contrary to God’s Word, they are not tolerated but called to repentance. If they refuse to repent, they are set apart, or excommunicated, from the congregation until they recognize by God’s Word and Holy Spirit and repent. In faithful repentance, this once gangrene limb of the body is restored to health and grafted again into Christ.
Jesus charges His pastors in John chapter 20: “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (Jn 20:21–23)
In today’s Gospel, he described the retaining of sin in this way: “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”
We don’t like this teaching of Jesus. If someone is causing the children to sin, cut them off or pluck them out? Understand where Jesus is coming from. People who speak or live contrary to God’s word, who have no contrition and repentance are in open rejection of God’s Word. They are rejecting the wonderful ordering of all things. Therefore, we are duty bound by the Word to call sin to repentance for the sake of the children.
We teach our children to submit to us for their good. Then many advocate we ignore God’s Word when it doesn’t suit us or makes us uncomfortable or places us in a position of humility. What does this teach the children? God’s Word doesn’t matter. Be all you can (and want) to be.
This is what is often lost in the discussion of all the hot button errors in the church, whether it be open communion, women pastors, gay marriage, abortion, or the like. All these false teachings undermine the ordering of God and threaten to destroy the faith of the little ones. Consider gay marriage: in countries that have embraced this disorderly conduct, we now see that heterosexual couples stop marrying. What was given to us by God is rejected by the allowing of error.
Lies, every one of them, have their source the chief lier Satan. He wants nothing better than for us to despise the little ones by confusing God’s Word and its given order. Perhaps this is by confusing Law and Gospel, withholding forgiveness for the contrite but forgiving the sins of the unrepentant? Perhaps this is by withholding the Sacrament from those who confess the true faith but have not meet some magical age or expectation or tradition? Perhaps this is by living in open and unrepentant rejection of God’s Word or by failing to exercise the authority given to Father or pastor. This battle began in the garden of rejecting God’s order and Word still continues today.
So it began when the archangel Michael and his angels cast down the dragon and his angels from heaven. That ancient Serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. The devil continues to tempt us to sin, accusing us day and night before our God. There is no doubt, this is a time of trouble, such as never has been.
But we shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. For we have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! Despite the battle, the outcome is certain and Christ’s victory sure! Yes, Satan tempts you day and night. Yes, you struggle against evil and disorder.
Even in the midst of this struggle, we need not fear! Our Lord Jesus has given us a wonderful little promise: all his little ones are guarded by the angels. Part of the wonderful ordering of the cosmos includes the Archangels and angels and all the heavenly host. Despite the battles we fight, the lies of Satan and his accusations, and every chaotic evil of this fallen world, we are cared for. Our Lord Jesus loves us until the end. He will always be with us, giving us His own flesh to restore us and keep us in Him.
And to assist him in this work, he has set the angels with us in wonderful order. He sends His holy angel to watch over us. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Yes, we walk in danger all the way. Life is full of temptation to sin, undermining God’s good order. But there is no need for fear, despite the chaos and disorder. You, children of God, are cared for by the holy angels who remind you and keep you in the truth forever. Christ’s victory is assured and you are children of God forever.
4. I walk with angels all the way,
They shield me and befriend me;
All Satan’s power is held at bay
When heavenly hosts attend me;
They are my sure defense,
All fear and sorrow, hence!
Unharmed by foes, do what they may,
I walk with angels all the way.
In Name of the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
Grace Lutheran Church
Dyer, Indiana
Introduction
If we remember anything from our catechism, we remember the three functions of the law. “A curb to keep society in order, a mirror to show us our sin, and a guide for Christian service to our neighbor.” But what does it mean that the law is a curb for society?
We know well the second function, the law brings us to despair of our own goodness and pride. We know fairly well the third function, that the law shows us the contours of our vocation and directs our love for God and neighbor. But what about the first use? What does it mean that the law is a curb for society?
I used to understand the first use of the law very vaguely: that because the outlines of the law are ingrained in our consciences there is a shadow of the Ten Commandments in the legal structure of each civilized society. But there is more, much more, to be said. The law (and especially the second table regarding our love for our neighbor) has many specific things to say about government. Especially in a nation where the citizens are given a role in governance (for example, voting), it would be good for us to consider the Ten Commandments and the things they teach us about government.
The Ten Commandments Protects God’s Gifts
We remember, first of all, that the Ten Commandments are given to protect God’s gifts. He created all things good. The Lord want for us good things. We see in the commandments both the gifts that God gives as well as His desire to protect them.
\t
The Fourth Commandment, “Honor your father and your mother”, protects God’s gift of family and authority.
\t
The Fifth Commandment, “You shall not murder”, protects God’s gift of life.
\t
The Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery”, protects the Lord’s gift of marriage and family.
\t
The Seventh Commandment, “You shall not steal”, protects our possessions, or as we call them in our constitution, private property.
\t
The Eighth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”, protects our reputation and our good name.
Understanding the gifts that God gives gives clarity to the role of government: law and the rule of law serves to protect the gifts of God. And, those serving in government love their neighbor by protecting these same gifts and making and enforcing laws that do the same.
What follows, then, is a discussion of the fourth through eighth commandments, of the gifts they protect, of the appropriate laws that protect them, and the practical conclusion that effect how we vote in the upcoming political cycle.
Remember that the Christian is called by God to love their neighbor. This is true when we vote as well. Our we vote, not to serve ourselves, but to love our neighbor.
The Fourth Commandment, Family and Government
The fourth commandment is the source of all human government. Before there was the state, and even before there was the church, there was the family: Adam and Eve. It is from the family, then, that authority comes.
In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther says, “For all authority flows and is propagated from the authority of parents.” (I.141) In this way we understand the commandment to honor our father and mother to include all the authorities in creation, including the government. On the other hand, this commandment all puts government in it’s proper place: serving and protecting families.
The Fifth Commandment and the Lord’s Gift of Life
The fifth commandment sets government to protect the Lord’s gift of life.
I often hear people talking about quality of life. The Bible knows of no such thing. The Lord has not given to mankind the authority to judge if life is worth living. Life is life, no matter how good or bad it is. Let me be clear, discussions about the quality of life are idolatrous, it assumes that life is here for us to take, measure, judge and even end.
The fruits of the quality of life idol are abortion and euthanasia. Regarding euthanasia, someone has made the decision that a persons life is not worth living. Lord save us from such dangerous arrogance. The Lord’s command says, “Do not commit murder.” Regarding abortion, the mother (or a person who has great influence over the mother, like the boyfriend or parents) have made the judgment that having a baby would wreck the mother’s quality of life. Lord, have mercy.
In the United States an estimated 3,700 babies are murdered in the womb each day. 1,370,000 times each year a child is sacrificed on the altar of convenience. This is “legal.” It should not be. The government is given to protect life.
(I know that this is a difficult and often emotional discussion. There are many women who have had abortions and are daily crushed by their guilt. The Lord has His church to give out the forgiveness of sins and to cover this guilt with His forgiving blood. The Lord’s mercy is found in the church, not the state. The state is given to protect life.
This is also the place were capital punishment and war should be discussed. The Lord has given the state the sword to protect, for example, His gift of life. In extreme cases, the state has the authority to kill in order to protect life [war and capital punishment], much like a doctor amputates a foot with gangrene to save the rest of the body. But this is slightly off the topic.)
The right to life is the most fundamental human right. Our blatant disregard for human life will mark this as one of the darkest ages of human history. The blood of millions of babies will certainly reach the ears of our heavenly Father. The Lord’s church continues to pray for an end to this mindless slaughter, and to use every opportunity she is given to help save the lives of babies in the womb. Voting is one of those opportunities to love our neighbor, especially our unborn neighbors.
The Sixth Commandment, Marriage and Family
The sixth commandment protects the Lord’s gift of family and marriage, and regulates human sexuality. This is where discussions regarding the laws of divorce, adultery and homosexuality belong.
Among other things, marriage is a legally binding contract with the state. In every wedding I’ve preformed I was there with the bride and groom and witnesses to sign the marriage license. While it is God who joins husband and wife on to another (Matthew 19:4), He uses the state to do this. So the state, the government, has a vested interest in marriages. Our own state laws have provision for supporting and protecting marriages, but these are often ignored and disregarded.
In fact, most people today would understand any laws regarding human sexuality to be old fashioned and unnecessary. “What I do in the bedroom is my own business.” Our sinful human flesh, in rebellion to God, wants to chase after its lusts in anyway it wants. But this often results in sorrow, end even in death.
In the Scripture we notice a pattern between the breaking of the sixth commandment that is followed by a breaking of the fifth. Remember the history of David and Bathsheba? First David commits adultery with Bathsheba who was married to another man. Then, when Bathsheba turns up pregnant, David tries to cover up his sin by calling Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband) back from battle. When Uriah, out of faithfulness to David and his fellow soldiers, refuses to go home, David sends him back to battle with his own death warrant. (2 Samuel 11) So murder follows adultery. This is often seen today with abortion. 75% of the women who have abortions are not married.
So we see that there is a public interest in strengthening and supporting the Lord’s gift of marriage. But what we see from our government is the exact opposite. In fact, the very fact of marriage is being challenged at its core.
Marriage is a gift of God, established and created by God. Government is set to protect marriage, not control or define it, but this is exactly what we see happening. Moved by pressure from homosexual lobbyists, many states are “re-defining” marriage to include the union of a man to a man, or a woman to a woman. Where this “re-defining” will end, who knows. We are in a strange time when polygamy is illegal, but “open marriages” are not. A man can live with as many women as he wants, unless he calls these women his wives. Strange.
But marriage cannot be redefined. The role of government is to protect marriage, not redefine or reshape or change it. We we go to the ballot, then, we have the opportunity to cast our vote out of love for our neighbor to protect the Lord’s gift of marriage and family.
…To be continued. Next month we will discuss the role of the 7th and 8th commandments, and make some conclusions about the up-coming election.
Part II
Part I of this article addressed the role of the law in society and made a few comments about the fourth, fifth and sixth commandments. In this article we will consider the Seventh and Eighth Commandments and conclude with a discussion of the voting Christian.
Government is a gift from God to protect His gifts of creation, and those gifts are outlined in the Ten Commandments: the gifts of life (Fifth Commandment), family (Sixth Commandment), property (Seventh Commandment) and reputation (Eighth Commandment).
The Seventh Commandment and the Gift of Possessions
There are a few very disturbing trends in American politics, not least of which is the delusion that these gifts (or rights, if you will) come from government. In the next few months we will not be able to escape political rhetoric. Listen for candidates promising to “give” things to the people, as if there is something that belongs to the state and in then given to the people. No. There are things that the Lord has given to individuals, to families, and the state has the vocation of protecting these gifts.
This is true of the Lord’s gifts of possessions, what our founding documents call private property. When the Lord commands, “You shall not steal,” He is giving us the gift of private property, the right to put our name on something. This means that the Ten Commandments protect us from socialism. Socialism is the political philosophy that possessions belong to the state and are distributed by the state, and the Lord’s Word “You shall not steal” stands against this philosophy and any other involuntary system of redistribution of wealth.
The Eighth Commandment and the Gift of Reputation
There is justice in our legal system’s assumption of innocence until proven guilty. Our good name and good reputation is a gift of God, and in some way the government has a role to protect this. We have these protections in our courts and judicial system.
In the up coming election there are many offices to be filled, and we have the opportunity to elect honorable people in law enforcement. As we petition the Lord in the prayer of the church that those in government would “punish wickedness and reward righteousness.” With the Eighth Commandment in mind, we pay attention to the judges and law enforcement.
Voting and the Vocation of Citizen
In Biblical times, as well as in the Reformation, there were the rulers and the ruled. You were one or another. In modern America it is not so simple. Our government is a system of self rule. Each citizen is the ruled and the ruler. Our voting is the clearest example of exercising this authority. So Christians, as citizens of the United States, have the very important responsibility of voting. So vote.
Conclusion
The Commandments protect the Lord’s gifts. That is obvious by now. Governments if given by God to protect these gifts in numerous way. But you might ask, “Pastor, what is the most important of these gifts? What if one candidate is a pro-life socialist and the other is a pro-choice capitalist?” For the Church this is a simple question. The most important issue is life. This is the most fundamental gift of creation, and it is especially the weak and defenseless that the state ought to protect. Babies at risk in the womb are the neighbors most at risk, the neighbors that most need our prayer and love and service.
In everything the Christian family and the Christian church does in the world, we are always asking how we might serve and love the neighbors that the Lord has given us. Having an election is no different. We go to the ballot box with the Ten Commandments in mind. We vote to love and serve our neighbor and protect the gifts that the Lord has given them. This November we will have the opportunity to do just this.
May the Lord hear our prayers for good and faithful rulers, and grant such to us and all the people of the world. And may we continue to serve our neighbors as we rejoice in the gifts that the Lord gives.
