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Mid-Week Lenten Service

Norma Boeckler

Mid-Week Lenten Vespers, March 7, 2012

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Time

The Hymn #656               Behold a Host            2:39
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody                   Psalm                          p. 128
The Lection                            The Passion History

The Sermon Hymn # 520   Commit  Whatever 2:55 

The Sermon –     Paul and the Means of Grace

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn # 558                 All Praise                         2:9

KJV Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it?  The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 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? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Paul and the Means of Grace

3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

If anyone needs to know about forgiveness and salvation, these few verses in Romans 10 sum up the teaching of the Bible.

There are two kinds of righteousness – God’s and man’s. Mostly we hear about man’s righteousness. That is so dominant – and always has been – that we have to listen to God’s righteousness, which is revealed only by the Holy Spirit and never by other religions or man’s wisdom.

I recall Jane Fonda being interviewed and telling the audience with great energy that her “life review” was the answer. Apparently that is a new fad. It was so tedious that the fawning interviewer got tired of it.

We hear all forms of the righteousness of man, and those forms change from day to day. They do not satisfy because they are false. They may for a time, but never for long.

The righteousness of God is something different. That is what Paul is driving at. Not even religious zeal can achieve the righteousness of God, because this comes to us only through faith.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

All of the Mosaic Law has a purpose, to show us the perfect will of God and our inability to keep it.

Three commandments, the First Table, concern God and worship. We cannot keep them. The best we can do is pretend we can, but in all honesty we are unable. Human sinfulness makes that impossible.

I asked a campus minister where he went to church on Sunday. He was stunned. He said, “I deal with the faith all week!” He imaged that he was serving God all week and no more obligations were left. He never thought of it as receiving from God, which is the teaching of the Means of Grace. He thought of Christianity as doing. And on the seventh day, he, the chaplain, rested from his labors. And it was very good indeed.

The end or purpose of the Law is faith in Christ. The Law itself does not teach that, but shows us that the Gospel alone can provide that righteousness.

These things can be grouped together – righteousness, forgiveness, faith, being called saints. Believers are saints or holy, because Christ is their righteousness. Jesus has accomplished everything in fulfilling the Law, dying for our sins, so we receive this grace in faith. That pronounces our forgiveness. The Holy Spirit works through the Gospel Word to stir our hearts to believe, and in that faith we receive.

The Christian faith is receiving from God, not working to please God.

Grace is a popular term, but that grace comes through an Instrument, a Means – the Word. Paul makes that clear in this chapter.

8 But what saith it?  The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Paul preached the Word of faith to troubled and heavy-laden sinners. Augustine said he read many fine, wise words from the philosophers, but not one of them said, “Come to me all who are weak and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

KJV Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

What does this passage from Matthew do? The verses speak of the Father/Son relationship, comfort and encourage us, and build our faith. Others would have us walk on coals, but Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Faith is forgiveness, salvation, and holiness. Believers are saints. They are holy because Christ gives us His holiness and moves us to be like Him. I posted something on Facebook, and a friend quoted Hebrews 11:1 about faith. So I began posting graphics with verses from Hebrews 11. His response was faith. By citing Hebrews 11 he motivated me to do more with that chapter. I posted verses and they began spreading through the FB friends, and friends of friends. Where it stops, no one knows.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Luther made a sermon from this concept – believing is forgiveness. Or in this verse, believing is righteousness. As a child I thought of the righteousness passages as being Law and judgment. Who is righteous? No one. That does not mean we are perfect by ourselves. It means we are righteous through faith in Christ, justification by faith.

Whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed.

Not whoever believes on Him and does this work…

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The ultimate trans-cultural statement is the Gospel. There is no difference. Those who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved. That requires faith, but God supplies the faith through the preaching of the Gospel.

Reverse Engineering – Inductive Exposition

14 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? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Most arguments begin with the argument and prove it with various kinds of citations and forms of evidence. That is the most common form of essay today.

Robert Preus taught me how to save time reading liberal books. He said, “Read the introduction, where the author gives his argument. You know what the rest of the book says.” That is deductive reasoning. The beginning says, “A is true because….” The rest of the book or the essay offers the becauses. At the end, “I have proven that A is true.”

Inductive reasoning turns that upside down. Since Paul has already emphasized again that forgiveness and salvation come from faith, the issue is – how do we and others obtain this faith? I will start at the end.

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Here I must part with the KJV and turn to my never-completed work – the Jackson Living Bible. If I translated the entire Bible that way, it would be awkward in reading. But sometimes it is good in small doses.

So then faith comes by hearing the sermon preached, and that preached sermon comes from the Word of God. (Jackson Living Bible)

The KJV and others seem to emphasize the act of hearing, but the word used is more like report or sermon, as cited in 10:16 – Who has heard our report? The report is from Isaiah 53 – the Suffering Servant passage so clearly about Christ.

KJV Matthew 4:24 And his fame [report – sermons preached about Him] went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

In other words, when Jesus healed the grievously sick and raised the dead, did people just talk about the miracle? No they said, “This is the Savior, the Messiah, and people believed in Him. They came to Him in faith. Like the Canaanite woman, they worshiped Him. So this word means far more than report, far more than hearing. It is the proclamation of who Christ is and what He does.

To increase the number of believers, Paul says, preach the Gospel. To deepen our trust in Him, preach the Gospel. Luther said the church is a mouth church, in another place tongue and ears. Almost all the gracious work of the church comes from preaching the Gospel and hearing the Gospel.

That is why it is a horrible violation of the First Table to teach falsehoods (for profit and security) and to listen to false teachers (who tickle our ears). As our members from Mountain Home said, many TV preachers are just life-coaches, never addressing the Gospel. They are just cheerleaders talking about secular topics, and people love it! Is there any better sign of the End Times?

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

The Gospel is not at fault because people hear it and turn away. Isaiah said as much. So did Jesus, teaching about false prophets and admonishing those of little faith.

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

The preachers must be sent, and it is a great task to send them and to participate in the work of the Gospel. Many times I wish I could tell people more about how this works. But go to the Bethany site, which is only for sermons and quotations. See the lights all over the world. Those are people reading sermons in every county in the world, even in Israel.

This verse alone is one of those great Gospel gems.

14 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?

And where is the Law in this verse? The exhortation is saying – this is how to address the matter of forgiveness and salvation- faith, hearing the sermon preached, and having a man to give the sermon.

Quotations

"Since, therefore, so much depends upon God's Word that without it no holy day can be sanctified, we must know that God insists upon a strict observance of this commandment, and will punish all who despise His Word and are not willing to hear and learn it, especially at the time appointed for the purpose."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #95, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 607. Tappert, p. 378. Exodus 20:8‑11.                 

"Note, therefore, that the force and power of this commandment lies not in the resting, but in the sanctifying, so that to this day belongs a special holy exercise.  For other works and occupations are not properly called holy exercises, unless the man himself be first holy.  But here a work is to be done by which man is himself made holy, which is done (as we have heard) alone through God's Word.  For this, then, fixed places, times, persons, and the entire external order of worship have been created and appointed, so that it may be publicly in operation."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #94, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 607. Tappert, p. 378. Exodus 20:8‑11.          

"On the contrary, any observance or work that is practised without God's Word is unholy before God, no matter how brilliantly it may shine, even though it be covered with relics, such as the fictitious spiritual orders, which know nothing of God's Word and seek holiness in their own works."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #93, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 607. Tappert, p. 377. Exodus 20:8‑11.                  

"For the Word of God is the sanctuary above all sanctuaries, yea, the only one which we Christians know and have.  For though we had the bones of all the saints or all holy and consecrated garments upon a heap, still that would help us nothing; for all that is a dead thing which can sanctify nobody.  But God's Word is the treasure which sanctifies everything, and by which even all the saints themselves were sanctified.  At whatever hour, then, God's Word is taught, preached, heard, read or meditated upon, there the person, day, and work are sanctified thereby, not because of the external work, but because of the Word, which makes saints of us all. Therefore I constantly say that all our life and work must be ordered according to God's Word, if it is to be God‑pleasing or holy.  Where this is done, this commandment is in force and being fulfilled."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #91‑2, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 607. Tappert, p. 377. Exodus 20:8‑11.  

"For these words are not inoperative or dead, but creative, living words. And even though no other interest or necessity impel us, yet this ought to urge every one thereunto, because thereby the devil is put to flight and driven away, and, besides, this commandment is fulfilled, and [this exercise in the Word] is more pleasing to God than any work of hypocrisy, however brilliant."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #102, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 379. Exodus 20:8‑11.                 

"For let me tell you this, even though you know it perfectly and be already master in all things, still you are daily in the dominion of the devil, who ceases neither day nor night to steal unawares upon you, to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against the foregoing and all the commandments.  Therefore you must always have God's Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears.  But where the heart is idle, and the Word does not sound, he breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware.   On the other hand, such is the efficacy of the Word, whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, that it is bound never to be without fruit, but always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness, and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #100‑1, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378.                                . Exodus 20:8‑11.    

"Likewise those fastidious spirits are to be reproved who, when they have heard a sermon or two, find it tedious and dull, thinking that they know all that well enough, and need no more instruction.  For just that is the sin which has been hitherto reckoned among mortal sins, and is called akedia, i. e., torpor or satiety, a malignant, dangerous plague with which the devil bewitches and deceives the hearts of many, that he may surprise us and secretly withdraw God's Word from us."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #99, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378.  Akedia: Aristotle's Ethics, IV. Exodus 20:8‑11.            

"Know, therefore, that you must be concerned not only about hearing, but also about learning and retaining it in memory, and do not think that it is optional with you of no great importance, but that it is God's commandment, who will require of you how you have heard, learned, and honored His Word."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #98, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378. Exodus 20:8‑11.                  

"Therefore not only those sin against this commandment who grossly misuse and desecrate the holy day, as those who on account of their greed or frivolity neglect to hear God's Word or lie in taverns and are dead drunk like swine; but also that other crowd, who listen to God's Word as to any other trifle, and only from custom come to preaching, and go away again, and at the end of the year know as little of it as at the beginning.  For hitherto the opinion prevailed that you had properly hallowed Sunday when you had heard a mass or the Gospel read; but no one cared for God's Word, as also no one taught it.  Now, while we have God's Word, we nevertheless do not correct the abuse; we suffer ourselves to be preached to and admonished, but we listen without seriousness and care."

            The Large Catechism, Preface, #96‑7, The Third Commandment, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. Tappert, p. 378. Exodus 20:8‑11.      

"For let me tell you this, even though you know it perfectly and be already master in all things, still you are daily in the dominion of the devil, who ceases neither day nor night to steal unawares upon you, to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against the foregoing and all the commandments.  Therefore you must always have God's Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears.  But where the heart is idle, and the Word does not sound, he breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware.  On the other hand, such is the efficacy of the Word, whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, that it is bound never to be without fruit, but always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness, and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts.  For these words are not inoperative or dead, but creative, living words."

            The Large Catechism, #100, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 609. J. T. Mueller, Christian Dog, p. 133.    

The Second Sunday in Lent

By Norma Boeckler

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

The Hymn #652  I Lay My Sins on Jesus 1:24

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 Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 454      Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire     1:41

Unanswered Prayers

The Hymn # 281         The Savior Calls            1:29

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 # 374         Grace Tis a Charming Sound 1:91

KJV 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Second Sunday In Lent

Lord God, heavenly Father, grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that He may strengthen our hearts and confirm our faith and hope in Thy grace and mercy, so that, although we have reason to fear because of our conscience, our sin, and our unworthiness, we may nevertheless, with the woman of Canaan, hold fast to Thy grace, and in every trial and temptation find Thee a very present help and refuge, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Unanswered Prayers

Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

This lesson shows how Jesus mission to the Gentiles already existed, because the fame of His miracles reached outside the Jewish community. The Gospel also teaches a clear lesson about unanswered prayers.

Jesus was in Gentile territory, so one point of this miracle is to show that believers already existed outside of Judaism. Some have argued that “Lord” by itself is not so distinctive as we think, since the title was used for secular leaders. In modern Greek, they say Lord Jackson instead of Mr. Jackson, so the term has declined in value over the years.

However, this woman called Jesus “Son of David” too. That was a clear confession of faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah. That meant she knew enough of the Old Testament (the only Scriptures at that time) to rely on the Messianic promises. She also knew the reputation of Jesus for His healing miracles. She believed in Him as a miraculous healer and as the Messiah.

That should not be too surprising, but we do not often think of it. Paul is emphasized as the Gentile missionary, but Jesus was the first missionary to non-Jews. The Promises of the Old Testament moved easily through society because the Scriptures were translated into Greek, the international language of its day.

Trade and travel meant that Jews were in many locations with their Scriptures and worship.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

“And behold” emphasizes that this is a remarkable event. A pagan was not expected to make a confession of faith. This woman was looking for Jesus, meeting Him to beg for an act of mercy.

Those who criticize the Bible in the name of niceness will always use this healing story as an excuse to make up fables about the Scriptures and miss the meaning of the healing. Jesus does seem mean and uncaring  - that is the point.

First it needs to be said that no one in the New Testament who asked Jesus was denied. Each healing described in detail has a point or two to teach in addition to revealing the divine power of Christ.

This is definitely a wrenching portrait, because this woman is placing all her hope on Jesus in curing her daughter. Anyone can identify with this.

23 But he answered her not a word.

This brief response has Jesus not even responding to the poor woman. Where is the love and compassion? I have many experiences of sending a personal message, even a certified letter, and not even getting a response, not even an acknowledgement. That is very annoying and seems to be the ultimate in shunning – not even worth an answer.

If we see this miracle as an example of unanswered prayer, or to be more precise, delayed answers, then each step makes perfect sense. We can see the allegory that fits so well with the actual event.

We pray out of dire need and seem to get no answer, not even a response. We see that as no response but it is really a delay in our sense of time.

And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

Lenski sees “Send her away” as neutral, because Jesus always healed those who came to Him. However, the woman must have felt embarrassed and slighted as she saw the disciples respond by going to their Master and speaking to Him. “Send her away” could not have sounded good, if she heard the words.

When we are placed in situations like that we always feel uncomfortable wondering what is being said.

This is analogous to the feelings we have when people wonder why misfortunes come our way. It adds to the burden and they enjoy being spectators. Much of this is a matter of perspective. Taunting comes because God blinds people to the meaning of afflictions and the cross in the lives of believers. Unbelievers can only see folly, shame, and misery. The taunting is actually a good sign, and not a bad sign.

We can see from the whole miracle that good was developing, even in the midst of silence and apparent coldness.

This should remind of Chytraeus saying, “It is a sin to question the goodness of God.” Whatever the circumstances. God means something good for His believers.”

Lenski offered a couple of reasons why the disciples wanted the woman dismissed, in the positive sense, “Heal her and send her along the way.” One reason would have that it was unseemly for a woman to be following them and shouting petitions at them.

Another reason might have been their unwillingness to attract attention in a pagan area. That is not far-fetched. When Jesus said they were going to Bethany, to His friend Lazarus, Doubting Thomas said, “We are going to die.”

KJV John 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Luther sees this answer as exercising the faith of the woman. It was not His time to begin a Gentile mission, even though the beginnings were there due to the power of His healings and teaching. The Gentile mission would start after He completed the mission to His own people.

This corresponds to people saying to themselves, “Perhaps I am not worthy.” But believers know that Christ makes us worthy, that all true prayers are in the Name of Christ, and God responds to us on His behalf.

I see people saying to friends, “I will send positive thoughts your way,” as if positive thoughts are anything but a mockery of faith. Shirley McClaine once asked her followers to think hard about the power going on when the theater went black. They did, and the theater’s power stayed off.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

This believer worshiped Christ as she continued her requests. Before she was asking from behind the group. Now she bowed before Him in submission. She did not stop believing, in spite of the outward appearance of rejection. Jesus did not turn her down, but said this:

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

Lenski does not want Jesus to sound harsh, but that is hard to soften, since dog is a lowly term in the Holy Land and often across the world.

When we are waiting for an answer we feel unworthy and unwanted, so this woman’s actions and words are an example as Jesus said Himself. Her answer was not anger toward God, but a turn on the phrase Jesus used.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

This is why Jesus responded in such a way. He already knew what was in her heart and in His plan, but this developed (as it did with many miracles) so the manner of healing would remain a teaching example forever.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

This is an example of temptation versus faith. God allows us to have temptation so that faith can conquer the temptation and show what God can do. When our second daughter became ill and we saw the same symptoms beginning again, while our first daughter was in dire straits already, it was tempting to think, “This is so unfair and wrong, with two in a row, many more years of incompetent doctors and nurses to face.”

Quotations

            SERMON NOTES

         The Second Sunday in Lent

               March 3, 1996

             Matthew 15:21-28

               A HARD SAYING

"But see in this example how Christ like a hunter exercises and chases faith in His followers in order that it may become strong and firm."

     Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:  Baker Book House, 1983 II,  p. 149.  Matthew 15:21‑28.

"In like manner Moses must precede and teach people to feel their sins in order that grace may be sweet and welcome to them.  Therefore all is in vain, however friendly and lovely Christ may be pictured, if man is not first humbled by a knowledge of himself and he possesses no longing for Christ, as Mary's Song says, 'The hungry he hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent

empty away,' Luke 1:53."

     Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 149.

         

"All this is spoken and written for the comfort of the distressed, the poor, the needy, the sinful, the despised, so that they may know in all times of need to whom to flee and where to seek comfort and help."

     Sermons of Martin Luther, II,  p. 149.

"Now what does the poor woman do?  She turns her eyes from all this unfriendly treatment of Christ; all this does not lead her astray, neither does she take it to heart, but she continues immediately and firmly to cling in her confidence to the good news she had heard and embraced concerning Him, and never gives up.  We must also do the same and learn firmly to cling to the Word, even though God with all His creatures appears different than His Word teaches.  But, oh, how painful it is to nature and reason, that this woman should strip herself of self and forsake all that she experienced, and cling along to God's bare Word, until she experienced the contrary.  May God help us in time of need and of death to possess courage and faith!"

     Sermons of Martin Luther,  II,  p. 150. 

               WHAT WE LEARN

"As for example when we feel in our conscience that God rebukes us as sinners and judges us unworthy of the kingdom of heaven, then we experience hell, and we think we are lost forever.  Now whoever understands here the actions of this poor woman and catches God in His own judgment, and says, Lord, it is true, I am a sinner and not worthy of Thy grace; but still Thou hast promised sinners forgiveness, and Thou art come not to call the righteous, but, as St. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15, 'to save sinners.'  Behold, then must God according to His own judgment have mercy upon us."

     Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:  Baker Book House, 1983 II,  p. 153. Matthew 15:21‑28; 1 Timothy 1:15               

"Since God has connected His most gracious promise of forgiveness with Baptism and the Lord's Supper, these also are true and efficacious means of grace, namely, by virtue of the divine promises that are attached to them."

     John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal Theology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 444. 

Lulu.com Book Discounts

I am putting this banner graphic in the side column. If you click on it there, you can find the latest Lulu.com discount offer. The discounts change every few days, so I am retiring from copying their ever-changing graphics.

Above the banner in the side column is the graphic of Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure that will take you to the list of my books.

When the first titles are listed on Amazon I will post more information. There are many projects going on at once.

A large number of books were given away at the latest three-synod conference.
Meanwhile, the Shrinker congregations were begging for funds at Thrivent Headquarters
and any foundation that would let them in the door.