Ascension 2023

 Bethany Lutheran Church

Springdale, Arkansas

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

The melody is linked to the name of the hymn.
The lyrics are linked to the Bethany Lutheran Hymnal page.

The Hymn #212        A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing  

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 

Hallelujah!

This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven: 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Psalm. Oh, clap your hands, all ye people: shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to have ascended into the heavens, 

so may we may also in heart and mind thither ascend and 

with Him continually dwell; who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual    Acts 1:1-11

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. God is gone up with a shout: 

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Hallelujah!

V. Thou hast ascended on high: 

Thou hast led captivity captive. Hallelujah!

The Gospel                        Mark 16:14-20

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #656       Behold a Host 

Three Times - Ascended into Heaven

The Hymn #341       Crown Him with Many Crowns       

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 #294            O Word of God 

In Our Prayers

• Pastor Jim Schrader and  his wife Chris, Kermit and Maria Way, Callie and her mother Peggy, and others facing stress and metabolic disorders.
• Our duly elected President and the military.
• The Columbus Lutheran journals are greatly appreciated by readers - thanks to Alec Satin, the Lutheran Librarian.

 

The Ending of Luke's Gospel

KJV Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. 50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

[The ending of Luke fits with the opening of Acts, which Luke also wrote. Luke's two contributions comprise 25% of the New Testament.]

KJV Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

The Gospel for the Ascension

KJV Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Ascension Prayer

O Jesus Christ, Thou almighty Son of God, who art no longer in humiliation here on earth, but sittest at the right hand of Thy Father, Lord over all things: We beseech Thee, send us Thy Holy Spirit; give Thy Church pious pastors, preserve Thy word, control and restrain the devil and all who would oppress us: mightily uphold Thy kingdom, until all Thine enemies shall have been put under Thy feet, that we may hold the victory over sin, death, and the devil, through Thee, who livest and reignest with God the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Three Times - Ascended into Heaven

KJV Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Some may think there is but one description of the Ascension. Seldom is the passage mentioned from the Gospel of Luke's ending. And there is one more - the ending of the Gospel of Mark, Mark 16:19, just one verse!

That adds up and it is very important, which is clear from the neglect of this sacred event. Christ ascending to Heaven is just as important as His Virgin Birth, but people have taken away the wonder, the miraculous and said, "Hardly anyone attends an Ascension Day service."

Note how this has become unimportant to so many. Those who doubt the Bible, as transmitted in hundreds of languages, have dismissed the ending of Mark - or questioned it, since scholars are divided. The same type ignores the Virgin Birth of Christ because they deny miracles, especially God becoming man. In addition, because they find the Incarnation a problem, they dismiss the Ascension as well.

These attitudes add up to people ignoring the significance of the Ascension of Our Lord.

Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Note what Abraham Malherbe, a Biblical genius, said in class at Yale Divinity. Paraphrased - "Everyone in academics makes fun of the Acts of the Apostles, but when they publish their histories of the New Testament, what do they use as the dates of the Apostolic Era? The Acts of the Apostes!"

That is extremely important in writing history - having an anchor date which establishes all other dates. One cannot have it both ways - publishing precise dates and denying the truth revealed in those dates. As Christina said to the Harvard trained New Testament teacher (who denied the Resurrection) "How can you distribute communion when you deny the Resurrection in class?"

All these events, going back to Creation itself, are revealed and in harmony as the truth - and they build our confidence, our faith in Jesus Christ.

A quotation from Luther explains how all this works, and it pertains to those going through a very challenging time with illness and episodes very difficult understand and address. This is based upon Isaiah 30:19 and Psalm 118, Day by Day We Magnify Thee.

The disciples were broken and crushed by that same experience Luther describes, so terrible and engulfing that they could only continue by God's help. My wife and I had that experience once, with Bethany, and experienced it all over again with Erin Joy. Everything seemed so different with Erin, so many reasons to say, "It can't happen again." Then the medical warnings and hints began, even in our denials, hopes, confusion, fears. I prayed for it not to be true and prayed many times over, "If the same thing is happening to Erin, help me be a good father and pastor."

We tried our best to enjoy every minute of Erin's life, and that is why I was always happy to pray for children with difficult disorders, rare problems, long and stretched out times of medical and emotional battles. We met many of those invisible - but suddenly visible - people who were experiencing the same things. We were all shut out of normal life in a polite and reasonable way, but shut out, and we had one great tent where everyone with similar agonies could speak candidly and say, "We love this heaven sent child." In that tent we met those who also had unique and complicated problems - and there was no cure.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Isn't that the Big Question? The question we cannot hear answered is the ultimate puzzle - from God the Father. 

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 

The answers of today's life cannot be revealed, so we are left with faith in God the Father, God the Son, the truths revealed through God the Holy Spirit. 

Rogate Sundy 2023

 

 Bethany Lutheran Church

Springdale, Arkansas

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

The Hymn #457     What a Friend We Have in Jesus
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

With the voice of singing declare ye and tell this: 

utter it even to the end of the earth. Hallelujah!

The Lord hath redeemed His servant Jacob: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Psalm. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 

sing forth the honor of His name; make His praise glorious.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

O God, from whom all good things do come, grant to us, Thy humble servants, that by Thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be right and by Thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Christ, who hath redeemed us with His blood: 

is risen and hath appeared unto us. Hallelujah!

V. I came forth from the Father and am come into the world: 

again, I leave the world and go to the Father. Hallelujah!

The Gospel 
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #458                Our Father Thou

Confidence - With Faith

The Communion Hymn #653   Now the Light Has Gone Away
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 #660             Heaven Is My Home 

 

Prayers and Announcements

• The Ascension Holy Communion Service is Thursday, May 18th, 7 PM Central Daylight.
• Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Kermit and Maria Way, Callie and her mother Peggy, those suffering from emotional distress and those with metabolic disorders.
• Mothers honored today:

“Believing mothers consecrate children

On the road that Jesus walked.”

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson 

KJV James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

KJV John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. 29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. 30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

Confidence - With Faith

An Outline for Prayer - By Martin Luther - Rogate, Second Sermon, Lenker Edition

1. "The first is, that we have from God his promise or his permission to speak to him, and that we remember the same before we pray and remind God of it, thereby encouraging ourselves to pray in a calm and confident frame of mind.
2. In the second place, it is necessary that we never doubt the pledge and promise of the true and faithful God. 
3. In the third place, if one prays doubting that God will hear him, and only offers his prayers as a venture, whether it be granted or not granted, he is guilty of two wicked deeds. The first is, that he, himself, makes his prayer unavailing and he labors in vain. The other wicked deed is, that he regards his most true and faithful God as a liar and an unstable and doubtful being; as one who can not or will not keep his promise; and thus through his doubt he robs God of his honor and of his name of truth and faithfulness.
4. In the fourth place, some say: Yes, I would gladly trust that my prayer would be heard, if I were only worthy and prayed aright. My answer is: If you do not pray until you know and experience that you are fit, then you will never need to pray.
5. In the fifth place, one should so act in this confidence of prayer as not to limit God and specify the day or place, nor designate the way or measure of the prayer’s fulfillment; but leave all to his own will, wisdom and almighty power. Then confidently and cheerfully await the answer, not even wishing to know how and where, how soon, how long, and through whom."

The best way to understand prayer is to start with Luther's summary, found in the two sermons for Rogate in the Lenker edition (published with Norma Boeckler's artwork by our little congregation because the Lutherans in America were either ignoring the 500th Anniversary or mocking the event).

Like the Small Catechism, his sermons are not high-flying or dogmatic or more complicated than Thomas Aquinas. Instead, they are written in plain, simple language, explaining the Word of God to us.

Prayer is especially important, because there are so many ways to misunderstand or ignore this great gift which God has given to us through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Savior. Rather than comment on so many confused and confusing theories, why not begin with the simple words of Scripture.

1. "The first is, that we have from God his promise or his permission to speak to him, and that we remember the same before we pray and remind God of it, thereby encouraging ourselves to pray in a calm and confident frame of mind.

Luther says "confidently" twice or more in this sermon, and that is the Latin word for - with faith. No wonder some banks are named Fidelity. To begin this exercise, we should start prayer with faith and a cheerful attitude. The source of this faith and cheerfulness is the Word of God, the Promises of God. People often get this matter confused. The energy of God's Word is the Holy Spirit, because, as Jesus taught in the Gospel of John, the Spirit takes from the Father and the Son and gives to us.

Prayer is not testing God to see if His power and grace are adequate for our needs. We fall into first looking at conditions and requirements, so that is why we need to have the right attitude toward prayer since the original word means asking.

When we know the stories of the Bible, especially the New Testament, we can see why Luther begins with faith and a cheerful attitude. The Canaanite woman never stopped pleading for her daughter's health, even when the disciples grew weary of it - not even when Jesus appeared to rebuke her (take bread from  the mouths of Israel' children?). The lepers ignored being silenced by the crowd when they said "Lord have mercy on us." The parable of the judge is the perfect parallel where the woman kept asking and was only answered because the judge was fed up with all the asking. 

KJV Luke 18:18 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

This is one of those unusual stories, because the judge is not a good person. He answered the widow only because he was tired of her. How much more does God care for the elect? 

In the second place, it is necessary that we never doubt the pledge and promise of the true and faithful God. 

Instead of being busy with whether this outcome or that is going to happen, we should be crushing the doubts that block and plague us, because those battles harden us against the Scriptures and their meaning.

We are in an era where there are thousands of books, magazines, lessons, sermons, etc where the basic truths of the Scriptures are denied, mocked, and repudiated. Each generation seems to grow worse in this regard, though many remain faithful. I have been exposed to the constantly repeated denials of these basic truths, coming from learned men who were honored and rewarded in so many ways. Their key to success is having a way to cite the Scriptures and give them another meaning. "The Easter faith of the disciples" might be Scriptural but it is used to say - the disciples imagined Jesus was raised from the dead, even though His grave was robbed. Therefore, Jesus has risen whenever someone thinks so." All miracles are reduced to what the speaker or scholar allows - in order words - very little at all, more like Christian Science than a miracle.

We address doubt by starting with the source of faith - the Scriptures - and should make ourselves as familiar with them as we are with our favorite topics: the Packers, special sales, and earthworms for fishing or gardening.

The Scriptures can be attacked and are the object of many assaults, but knowledge of them and witnessing to their power can flatten the false teachers and rob them of their weapon

In the third place, if one prays doubting that God will hear him, and only offers his prayers as a venture, whether it be granted or not granted, he is guilty of two wicked deeds. The first is, that he, himself, makes his prayer unavailing and he labors in vain. The other wicked deed is, that he regards his most true and faithful God as a liar and an unstable and doubtful being; as one who can not or will not keep his promise; and thus through his doubt he robs God of his honor and of his name of truth and faithfulness.

Prayer to God in the Name of Jesus is not a lottery ticket. This is where the individual can fall into doubt and can question himself as whether he is likely to have the prayer answered or doubts God as willing to help. 

There is no sin so great and terrible that God cannot forgive - except for rejecting faith in Christ, the sin against the Holy Spirit. The Universalists have that tied down with truckloads of knots - very popular - "everyone is already saved." Those who keep mouthing and lecturing on Universalism find themselves increasingly hostile to the Gospel. 

Two Church Growth pastors became atheists this way. One began mocking his own family going to church - he joined an insurance company. Another joined a charity for attacking Christians and complained to Christian News, saying that I was unkind to his favorite obsession.

People must discern what is correct through faithful Bibles (KJV) and books (Luther and the German Reformation, American Lutherans who revived the Reformation - Loy, Krauth, Schmauk, Jacobs).

There are two groups in America. One loves Luther's Biblical teaching and rejects the fads. The other loves the fads and loathes Luther and the German Reformation.  

In the fourth place, some say: Yes, I would gladly trust that my prayer would be heard, if I were only worthy and prayed aright. My answer is: If you do not pray until you know and experience that you are fit, then you will never need to pray.

Even back then in Luther's day, people were more inclined to think of their worthiness rather than relying on the power of God's Word. Being overwhelmed by the Law and distortions of the Gospel, people will think they are not good enough. However, the one key element, so often bypassed, is faith in Jesus Christ. He pours out His grace, which is His role. He strengthens and encourages us.

In the fifth place, one should so act in this confidence of prayer as not to limit God and specify the day or place, nor designate the way or measure of the prayer’s fulfillment; but leave all to his own will, wisdom and almighty power. Then confidently and cheerfully await the answer, not even wishing to know how and where, how soon, how long, and through whom.

God is not managed. In the LCA we were trained by Management by Objectives, Peter Drucker - or Dreck. He settled down among the Church Growthers to apply his failed corporate methods to churches, to fail there as well. Somehow WELS and LCMS had exactly the same slogans and methods, though they shunned other synods and raised the ominous Left Boot of Fellowship in the direction outsiders (except Drucker).

Whether instructed by Drucker or Enthusiasts - who had their own dreams, the Christian Faith has suffered greatly for entrusting their faith in mankind and having little left for God.

The best approach is to have some reading of the Bible, all the time. John's Gospel is the simplest but also the most profound. Ephesians wraps up all of Paul's writing in a few chapters. The Psalms contain the greatest amount  of God's wisdom in the shortest of poems.

Miracles happen through prayer because God provides according to His wisdom and long-term view of our lives. I have seen three small children overcome the ultimate threat and become unusually healthy. No one thought that was possible...until it happened. Miracles great and small happen because of faith and God's Promises.

Mother's Day

Most of all, we should pray for mothers we know, and grandmothers and great-grandmothers. We should be thankful for all they did and tried to do in spite of us. My mother said she learned how to teach junior high boys by having three boys at home. I asked, "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" She smiled knowingly.

Mothers should be thanked, surprised, taken out to dinner, and recognized the year around. Those who have lost mothers young know what means.

Today I extended the annual Roses for Mothers to a second block. Every household got one or more roses. It is fun to do that, no matter where someone lives.

We took roses and daffodils to Christina's engineering job in Columbus, whenever they blossomed. It led to one woman receiving roses from her husband for the first time. The boss was thrilled when his favorite flower, the daffodil (for the Welsh) appeared at work. He begged for his own. 

Cantate Sunday, 2023

  

Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter, 2023

Luther's Best Sermon on This Text

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

 

Bethany Lutheran Church, 

10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn #458        O'er Jerusalem Thou Weepest                    

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Oh, sing (cantate) unto the Lord a new song: 

for He hath done marvelous things.

The Lord hath made known His salvation: 

His righteousness hath He openly showed in the sight of the heathen.

Psalm. His right hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

O God, who makest the minds of the faithful to be of one will, grant unto Thy people that they may love what Thou commandest and desire what Thou dost promise, that among the manifold changes of this world our hearts may there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual 

Gradual

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. The right hand of the Lord is exalted: 

the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. Hallelujah!

V. Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more: 

death hath no more dominion over Him. Hallelujah!

    

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #296      Speak O Lord           

Because They Did Not...

Communion Hymn #297     The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace - by M. Loy, Cap Seminary President, Author

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                     

In Our Prayers -

• Treatment and recovery - Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Callie and her mother Peggy; Dr. Cruz, his wife Lyne, his daughter Thea, and Felix. Dr. Kermit Way and his wife Maria. Pray for those suffering from emotional stress.
• Glen Kotten and his bride Esther are in the Philippines for several weeks.
• Pray for our country as the major trials continue. Victory is approaching for the duly elected President.
• "The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal texts are finished. All the hymns have their own pages. Norma A. Boeckler is providing art for them. Typo alerts are welcome." That was three years ago! - 44,125 views have been recorded, as of today, 10k more than last year.
• Mother's Day is next Sunday, a great opportunity to show appreciation, gratitude, and love. Roses will be plentiful, on the altar, in our neighborhood, and everywhere.

   

        

Fourth Sunday After Easter

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst through Thy Son promise us Thy Holy Spirit, that He should convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: We beseech Thee, enlighten our hearts, that we may confess our sins, through faith in Christ obtain everlasting righteousness, and in all our trials and temptations retain this consolation, that Christ is Lord over the devil and death, and all things, and that He will graciously deliver us out of all our afflictions, and make us forever partakers of eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle

KJV James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.

The Gospel

KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

John 16

8 και ελθων εκεινος ελεγξει τον κοσμον περι αμαρτιας και περι δικαιοσυνης και περι κρισεως

9 περι αμαρτιας μεν οτι ου πιστευουσιν εις εμε

10 περι δικαιοσυνης δε οτι προς τον πατερα μου υπαγω και ουκ ετι θεωρειτε με

11 περι δε κρισεως οτι ο αρχων του κοσμου τουτου κεκριται

Because They Did Not...

KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

The setting describes the disciples feeling great sorrow, because their three years with Jesus were about to end. Jesus was about to leave, so they were numbed and confused by the loss. Major events are difficult enough, but this was catastrophic. To the disciples - it was as if everything was being taken away. In the midst of their pain and grief, they were unlikely to ask for even more details.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

This is the signal of the local mission being turned into one which is world-wide. Jesus traveled among Jews and Gentiles establishing faith in Him through teaching and performing miracles. He even said to the audiences, "If you do not believe My Word, at least believe in the miracles." That was a way of saying that the message might confuse them, even enrage them, but their eyes saw and their ears heard the miracles, basic, without any chance of it being a dream or mirage. In the miraculous feedings, they were hungry and yet fed so much that they could not eat any more. Stomachs do not lie, food is not an illusion. 

Why did the crowds become upset and disciples uncertain? The Old Adam - with Satan's help - denies and rejects the Word of God. Jesus spent three years establishing faith among the people, the Jewish leaders (who helped in His burial), and some outsiders like the Canaanite woman. When Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Apostles had a base from which to start. By spreading out, instead of following One Leader, the Apostles reached out in many directions at the same time, persecution speeding their work, the Holy Spirit guiding them. The growth of the Early Christian Church was miraculous, the converts impossible to stop, the copies of the New Testament carefully duplicated and translated in enormous numbers - nothing like it anywhere in ancient literature.

Why do we not have copies of the New Testament with dates like 80 AD on them? They were used until they wore out, copied, and then the dilapidated copies were burned so heretics could not use them for promoting false doctrine. (A few did, but the true copies and the Faith overwhelmed the fakes.) Scholars even call these old copies "witnesses." When you open your KJV, you are reading the Masoretic Jewish tradition - extreme perfection - in the Old Testament, and the Apostolic text in the New Testament.

When you buy and use the Evil Four + One (NIV, ESV, RSV, NRSV) and the Beck, you are holding a fake text invented by whoever put it together. The fake texts do not agree with each other, and there is not one complete New Testament for the Evil Four + One because their precious "scientific" Greek text is made up from erased words and phrases, and - the Great Erasure - the ending of Mark with the Empty Tomb narrative.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would remind them of all that He taught, so the perfection of the New Testament was and is a miracle, the only way to explain the harmony of the Gospels and the relationships between the Gospels and the Epistles.

When the modernists took away the 

1. miraculous in the Greek text and 
2. passages about faith in Jesus Christ

they deliberately created the Unitarian view of the Bible, barring that, the Bible subordinated to the Church of Rome.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove [Lenski - convict] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

This falls into the category - Completely Mysterious - until with study and meditation and prayer we come to - Perfectly Clear, all three parts. There are three uses - of - and three uses - because. That is simple and eloquent, so obvious that most people pass by the verses. And yet, verse 9 is the entire Bible in a few words. Those who do not know that are doomed to misunderstand the Bible 

The first and most important part is convicting. It is like saying 

1. "You do not know what sin is."
2. "You do not know what righteousness is."
3. "You do not know what judgment is."

Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Sin goes through the mind with such thoughts as carnal sin, sins of the heart, disobedience, breaking the law, and betraying a person or country or military position.

The foundational sin is not all these and worse. The unbelieving world is convicted for one thing only - not believing in Christ. The sin against the Holy Spirit, which puzzles so many?...Not believing in Christ, because the Spirit acts upon us with the Word of God. If we hear or read or remember the Scriptures and ignore them, we are sinning against the Spirit and against Christ.

That makes many stumble, so they ignore and pass by this topic.

Believing in Christ is too simple, so people are pulled away from this by rationalizing the miracles, by converting the Gospel to social activism, by being good in one way or another, by creating an alternate religion which bears some resemblance of Christianity. I asked the Mormon visitors, "Are there three separate gods?" They said yes. I countered, "But you agree with the Bible, where it says - Here O Israel, the Lord our God is one God." They became angry! The Spirit convicted them of unbelief, and they left, yelling at me.

The Beauty of This Phrase

So many are burdened by their efforts of being perfect, or at least pretty good, honored by the Lion's Club, praised by local leaders, chairman of the building expansion. The righteousness of works becomes a burden and it becomes difficult to find peace, forgiveness of sin. That only comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Denial of the Trinity - no faith.

Denial of His divinity - no faith.

Denial of His miracles - no faith.

Denial of the Atonement - no faith.

Denial of the Resurrection - no faith.

One could add the Virgin Birth and the Ascension.

Science will often unleash its sour countenance and become ecstatic about the ability of a plant or a simple animal to do astonishing things, almost a miracle, maybe even a miracle. We should not quarrel about such things, which are true, such as millions of earthworms aerating and feeding our soil, billions of bacteria feeding the higher life forms, springtails out-numbering all life on the planet. (Not sure on springtails - lost the count halfway through)

All those miracles of Creation - dare I say it? - are nothing compared to the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, true man and true God. Faith gives us access to His grace, and therefore forgiveness of all sin, from the tiniest to the great and terrible sins.

The saddest spectacle involves all the people who imagine they are glorifying God when they spend more on temples, cathedrals, universities. Or when they count their numbers. Or their high standing in the world. All kinds of things are counted but they do not count anything significant when they do not believe in Jesus Christ.

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father 

and ye see me no more;

This is quite simple when we realize righteousness is not tangible or honored by mankind - but the righteousness of faith in the Savior. Jesus is going to His Father because He is leaving behind the Apostles and the Word to guide people in righteousness through Him.

If you have a chance and discernment, look at the church organization reports. They are about everything except faith in Christ.  Proof comes from 60+ essays (!?) in the WELS library of essays on - righteousness without faith - Universal Objective Faithless Justification. Their argument goes back to Calvinism, Pietism, Walther and his Bishop, Martin Stephan.

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged

Satan is already defeated and raving against the Kingdom of God. Nothing on earth can keep us from faith in Jesus Christ, and Satan cannot harm us. We are either with the Savior or against Him.

We know from the Scriptures that faith in our Good Shepherd will nourish us and also guard us. The victory is our faith, and God showers us with His grace, forgiveness, and compassion.