Judica
Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2012
Pastor
Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany
Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn #462 I Love Thy Kingdom 4:21
The
Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory
be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #40 The God of Abram Praise 4:94
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #40 The God of Abram Praise 4:94
Our Great
High Priest
The
Communion Hymn #245 God Loved the
World 4:6
The
Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24
KJV Hebrews
9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he
entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by
means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under
the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance.
KJV John 8:46
Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not
believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them
not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto
him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus
answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see
death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.
Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he
shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which
is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus
answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that
honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known
him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar
like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the
Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out
of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Prayer
O Lord Jesus
Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this
Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we
beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily,
but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the
forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain
eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the
Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Our Great High Priest
KJV Hebrews
9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
building;
In the Gospel
lesson for today, Jesus declared His authority in clear, plain words. Although
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are clear enough about these matters, the Fourth Gospel
takes up this issue and expands upon it for our benefit.
The purpose
of the Gospel of John is to create faith by the working of the Holy Spirit in
the Word, to convict us of not trusting completely in Christ, to show us God’s
love in Christ, so that in believing we would have forgiveness of sin and
eternal life.
The Gospel
and the Epistle are revelations of the mysteries of God. They are declarations
rather than arguments. For the unbeliever these passages can be irritating and
absurd. For example, many are taught that Jesus was a great teacher, a good
rabbi, and a compassionate man. But when they read or hear these claims of
divinity and sonship, they ask, “Where is the proof?”
There is no proof
(in the sense of a scientific laboratory) because the Word of God is the
authority. Science and technology are useful tools that provide many benefits
for us, but they do not explain purpose because they cannot. The moon creates
tides, which create tidal pools, providing vast amounts of food for animals and
humans. But no one can explain the purpose of the moon or its remarkable
relationship with earth.
The purpose
of life is explained and taught by the Christian faith. The Holy Spirit is the
professor and the Word of God is the authority. Many human authorities have
come and gone, but the Word of God remains forever. Heaven and earth will pass
away, but the Word will never pass away.
Old Testament and New
The Gospel
and Epistle unite the Old Testament with the New, a remarkable sweep of
history.
Old Testament
references show us that both parts of the Bible are united in teaching the same
lesson. They hold Christ the way a cradle holds a baby, as Luther explained.
Because Jesus is the great High Priest, all the Old Testament passages about
the priesthood are part of the Gospel.
The
priesthood, the animal sacrifices, and the Temple prepared Israel for the
coming of the great High Priest, Jesus.
Lenski:
The
main point is the predication: “as High Priest of the good things about to
come.” As such he arrived, was at hand, and entered in. The writer tells us of
the High-priestly act of Christ and at once names him as the High Priest.
It
goes without saying that “High Priest of the good things about to come” aims to
exalt Christ above all the common Jewish high priests, none of whom could be so
designated.
Lenski,
R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the
Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 289.
In English we
are taught not to mix metaphors. A metaphor is when A = B. “The argument was a
tangled web of contradictions.”
But Hebrews
mixes the metaphor of Jesus as the great High Priest and the innocent Lamb of
God. How can He be both the Priest and the Victim? That is another indication
of the Bible being the Word of God. What man says is wrong, the Bible
illustrates with clarity and beauty.
No priest in
the Old Testament could offer himself as the atoning sacrifice, but Christ did
that. Wherever we look in God’s Word, we find confirmation of this truth, and
it deepens our faith in the unified truth of the Scriptures.
In fact, this
is the central message of the Bible – that Christ has paid for the sins of the
world. The objective truth of the atonement is the Gospel message itself.
All human
forms of forgiveness are based upon paying a price or performing a work to pay
for sins, to make up for wrongs. In fact, civil law often refers to “making
someone whole.” If someone is cheated out of $100, he has to be given that $100
back.
But divine
will is different and gracious. Christ is the great High Priest who offered
Himself as the sacrifice, to pay for the sins of mankind. That atoning
sacrifice is valid and true, even if no one ever believed in it.
The argument from popularity is a logical fallacy
– it is true because a majority believe in it. The number who believe in a
given statement is not connected to its truth. All the kids are getting a
tattoo and a nose ring, so it must be a good idea!
Hebrews 9:11
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
building;
Luther said
about this passage that priest is a better term for Jesus than any other title.
It is the ultimate title because priest describes His office in giving Himself
for our sins.
Jesus became
our Savior, Messiah, Savior, and Brother by being our priest.
If He were
just a man, then His death had no ultimate value. That is exactly what all the
Christian apostates say. The one thing they want to take away is the priesthood
of Christ. They will allow miracles, but not the atonement. They teach that
this gives God a bad reputation for judicial acts. Looking closer, we can see
that they also teach against the resurrection of Christ, against His divinity.
One prime example is the Braaten-Jenson Dogmatics
text used in all ELCA seminaries.
Another
metaphor – Christ is not only the High Priest and victim. He is also the
Tabernacle. He said, “Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days.”
KJV John 2:19
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.
All three
metaphors are connected with Old Testament forgiveness – the high priest
sacrificed the spotless lamb in the Temple, so the sprinkling of blood would
atone for the sins of the people.
12 Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
A common
Biblical argument is from the lesser to the greater, and we find this often in
Hebrews. (Luther thought that Apollos probably wrote the letter, but he also
referred to the author as Paul. In other words, it can be from either man. They
worked together.)
If the Jewish
people sacrificed animals for their sin, then what can we say about the cross
being the Holy of Holies, where Jesus earned eternal redemptions for us?
Lenski:
We discard the
idea that at the time of his death Jesus took his blood into the heavenly
Sanctuary before God. One is disturbed to read what Bengel,
Stier, Delitzsch, and others say about Christ’s blood; such things as that the
blood Christ shed was received back into his body, that it was received into
heaven, or that the blood which was left in Christ’s dead body was increased
and renewed. These distressing conceptions center particularly on the Lord’s
Supper, in connection with which some speak of “the glorified blood”
that is now given us to drink in the Sacrament. Where does Scripture speak of
Christ’s “glorified blood”? The words that are used in connection with the
Sacrament are: “my blood in the act of being shed for you” just as: “my body in
the act of being given for you.” When Riggenbach regards “blood” as it is used
in our epistle bildlich,
“figurative,” signifying “death,” he surely does not fully understand the
implication of his words. What Christ shed was “his own blood” and not
something that pictures his death. Instead of saying that Christ’s blood = his
death, the reverse is true: where the Scriptures speak of his death they refer
to his bloody death, his expiatory, sacrificial blood.
[1]Lenski,
R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the
Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book concern, 1938, S. 293.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of
goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the
purifying of the flesh:
This assures people of their forgiveness and also unites the
Old Testament with the New Testament (the NT being written at that time). The
argument works both ways. For the Jewish people, those centuries of animal
sacrifice were preparation for Christ. For the non-Jews, the Temple sacrifices
were a visual metaphor for what their Savior accomplished for them.
Lenski:
The blood is the lytron
or ransom that was paid by Christ in order to effect release from sin and
guilt. Expiation and ransoming are the same in substance and closely akin in
connotation so that “blood” is said to be the means of ransoming. This word and
the one used in v. 15 are treated more fully in connection with our exegesis of
Rom. 3:24 to which the reader is referred.
[1]Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of the Epistle
to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James. Columbus, O. : Lutheran book
concern, 1938, S. 294.
The ransom money or eternal redemption was paid once for
all. Therefore, no one needs to wonder whether faith in Christ delivers from
one particular sin, an enormous debt of sin, or even from horrible unspeakable
sins. The price has been paid. Believing in Christ is forgiveness of sin.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to
God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for
this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for
the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first
testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance.
Thus the
Gospel is always true and remains powerful and effective for each one of us. We
are in constant need of forgiveness, which is the beginning of all the fruits
of the Christian faith.
About 99% of
the world’s advice is based upon law and man, but 100% of the Gospel is God’s
work for man, God’s grace for man, God’s forgiveness distributed by the Holy
Spirit through the Means of Grace – for man.
When people
oppose justification by faith, the true Gospel offends them, even when they
used stained glass words.
When people
trust in God’s declaration of forgiveness—another way of saying justification by
faith—they receive forgiveness and the fruits of the Spirit that necessary
follow sincere faith.
God has given
us hundreds of ways to know, grasp, and remember these Gospel lessons. The Book
of Hebrews is one of the most vivid. Everything is a picture, which made it
easy to illustrate Hebrews 11 as the Chapter of Faith.
Trust in God’s
Word, in His Gospel, is the most important lesson we can learn, the most
important we can teach.
Note on
Bengel
GJ
- Bengel was very influential and I believe his concept of stored blood was one
source of UOJ.
From
TSW,
quoting
Hoenecke - And Ph. D. Burk (Rechtfertigung und Versicherung, p. 41)
rightly said:
‘The difference between general justification and the more common
usage of the term justification can be expressed as follows. The
latter takes place precisely upon the appropriation of the former.’
Hoenecke - An emphasis upon general justification is necessary in
order to safeguard the material content of the Gospel.
Hoenecke - We need
furnish no extraordinary proof in regard to the justification of the individual
sinner; let us suffice with the story of the publican. Justification takes
place in the one who appeals to the grace of God, but it does not take place in
the Pharisee. And the entirety of Scripture demonstrates that he who believes is always justified; this
applies to every individual, the moment that faith is kindled in him.”
Hoenecke, like Joe Krohn, dabbles with the term OJ but defines
justification exclusively through faith.
Marquart and others said Hoenecke was better than Pieper on
justification.
Quotations
FREE WILL
Formula of Concord
December 26, 2000
1 Corinthians 1:21 For after that
in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time
past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:
2 Timothy 2:26 And that they
may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by
him at his will.
"Of Free Will they teach that man's will has some liberty to
choose civil righteousness, and to work things subject to reason. But
it has no power, without the Holy Ghost, to work the righteousness of God, that
is, spiritual righteousness; since the natural man receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God, 1 Corinthians 2:14; but this righteousness is wrought
through the Word."
Augsburg Confession, Article XVIII,
Freedom of the Will, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 51. Tappert, p. 39. 1 Corinthians 2:14.
"Now, although both, the planting and watering of the
preacher, and the running and willing of the hearer, would be in vain, and no
conversion would follow it if the power and efficacy of the Holy Ghost were not
added thereto, who enlightens and converts the hearts through the Word preached
and heard, so that men believe this Word and assent thereto, still, neither
preacher nor hearer is to doubt this grace and efficacy of the Holy Ghost, but
should be certain that when the Word of God is preached purely and truly,
according to the command and will of God, and men listen attentively and earnestly
and meditate upon it, God is certainly present with His grace, and grants, as
has been said, what otherwise man can neither accept nor give from his own
powers."
Solid Declaration, Article II, Free Will,
55-56, Formula of Concord, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 903. Tappert, p. 531f.
"Why is so much assumed about the ability of human
nature? It has been wounded, hurt, injured, ruined. It
has need of a true confession, not of a false defense." [Augustine, De natura
et gratia, chap. 53; quoted with approval by Chemnitz]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the
Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 411.
"Moreover [On the other side], both the ancient and modern
enthusiasts have taught that God converts men, and leads them to the saving
knowledge of Christ through His Spirit, without any created means and
instrument, that is, without the external preaching and hearing of God's
Word."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration,
II. 4. Free Will, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 881.
"Against both these parties the pure teachers of the Augsburg
Confession have taught and contended that by the fall of our first parents man
was so corrupted that in divine things pertaining to our conversion and the
salvation of our souls he is by nature blind, that, when the Word of God is
preached, he neither does nor can understand it, but regards it as foolishness;
also, that he does not of himself draw nigh to God, but is and remains an enemy
of God, until he is converted, becomes a believer [is endowed with faith], is
regenerated and renewed, by the power of the Holy Ghost through the Word when
preached and heard, out of pure grace, without any cooperation of his
own."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration,
II. 5. Free Will, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 881.
"Hence the natural free will according to its perverted,
disposition and nature is strong and active only with respect to what is
displeasing and contrary to God."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration,
II. 7. Free Will, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 883. John 8:34; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2: 26.
"For, first, although man's reason or natural intellect
indeed has still a dim spark of the knowledge that there is a God, as also of
the doctrine of the Law Romans 1:19ff., yet is is so ignorant, blind, and
perverted that when even the most ingenious and learned men upon earth read or
hear the Gospel of the Son of God and the promise of eternal salvation, they
cannot from their own powers perceive apprehend, understand, or believe and
regard it as true, but the more diligence and earnestness they employ, wishing
to comprehend these spiritual things with their reason, the less they
understand or believe, and before they become enlightened and are taught by the
Holy Ghost, they regard all this only as foolishness or fictions. 1 Corinthians
2:14..."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration,
II. 9. Free Will, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 883. 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 4:17f.; 1
Corinthians 1:21
"And, in a word, it remains eternally true what the Son of
God says, John 15:5: Without Me ye can do nothing. And Paul, Philippians 2:13:
It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. To
all godly Christians who feel and experience in their hearts a small spark or
longing for divine grace and eternal salvation this precious passage is very
comforting; for they know that God has kindled in their hearts this beginning
of true godliness, and that He will further strengthen and help them in their
great weakness to persevere in true faith unto the end."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration,
II. 14. Free Will, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 885. Philippians 2:13; John 15:5.
"Thirdly, in this manner, too, the Holy Scriptures ascribe
conversion, faith in Christ, regeneration, renewal, and all that belongs to
their efficacious beginning and completion, not to the human powers of the
natural free will, neither entirely, nor half, nor in any, even the least or
most inconsiderable part, but in solidum, that is, entirely, solely to the
divine working and the Holy Ghost, as also the Apology teaches."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration,
II. 25. Free Will, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921, p. 891.
"Today's Gospel also teaches by this parable that our free
will amounts to nothing, since the good seed is sowed only by Christ, and Satan
sows nothing but evil seed; as we also see that the field of itself yields
nothing but tares, which the cattle eat, although the field receives them and
they make the field green as if they were wheat. In the same way the
false Christians among the true Christians are of no use but to feed the world
and be food for Satan, and they are so beautifully green and hypocritical, as
if they alone were the saints, and hold the place in Christendom as if they
were lords there, and the government and highest places belonged to them; and
for no other reason than that they glory that they are Christians and are among
Christians in the church of Christ, although they see and confess that they
live unchristian lives."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8
vols., ed., John N. Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983,
II, p. 103. Matthew 13:24-30;
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