Luther for the Busy Man

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD - THURSDAYLESSON: MARK 16:14-20Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. Mark 16:19We must regard the ascension of Christ as an efficacious, powerful act which is in continuous and ceaseless operation. We must not just imagine that Christ has ascended into heaven and left us here on earth to be ruled in other ways. On the contrary, He has ascended into heaven because He can achieve most and rule most effectively by that act.If He had remained visibly here on earth among men, He could never have achieved as much. Not all people would then have been able to be with Him to hear Him. He had to make a start on having to deal with all men, ruling all men, preaching to all men, so that all might hear Him and that He might be with all men.Take care, therefore, that you do not form the idea that Christ is now far away from you. The contrary is true. When He was on earth, He was far away from us; since His ascension, He is very close to us.Reason, of course, cannot understand this, so the ascension is an article of faith. Here one must close the eyes to reason and grasp matters by faith. God’s Word tells us that the man Christ Jesus ascended visibly into heaven where He now sits at God’s right hand and governs all things.SL 11:940 (24-25)PRAYER: Christ our Savior ascended visibly into heaven from where He now rules and governs all things. Make us aware of the full import of this mighty act of our Savior, heavenly Father, so that we look more confidently to Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:180-194.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 7:7-12“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14An important factor in our prayers is that we must pray to our heavenly Father in the name of Jesus. This is nothing else but to come to God with faith in Christ and to console ourselves with the confidence that He is our Mediator through whom all things are given to us.Without such faith and confidence in Christ and His work of salvation, we would merit nothing but wrath and displeasure. St. Paul reminds us of all this when he declares in Romans, “Through Christ we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).We are really asking in the name of Jesus when we rely on Jesus and believe that we shall be accepted and heard for His sake and not for our sakes.Those who ask in their own name—with the presumptuous idea that God will hear them and regard them because of their many great, devotional, and holy prayers—will merit and receive nothing but God’s wrath and disfavor. They do not regard a mediator as necessary. For them, Christ has no significance and is of no use.SL 11:922 (10)AE 77:255PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, never let us forget how much we need the work of our Savior and Mediator. On this basis, may our prayers be always pleasing and acceptable to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - TUESDAYLESSON: LUKE 19:1-6Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26In our prayers, we must earnestly desire or wish that what we pray for should come to pass. This is what is meant by the word “ask” which Jesus uses in the Gospel. Some have described this as “the ascent of the soul to God.” The heart lifts itself up and soars up to God with a burning desire, and on this basis, it sighs and says, “O that I had this or that!”According to St. Paul, prayer can be a yearning that cannot always be put into actual words. The mouth cannot always express what the heart feels; the yearning of the heart can surpass all our speaking and even thinking (Romans 8:26).When Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, the possibility of Jesus speaking to him and coming to his house was beyond all his powers of conception. But after this joyful event, he was more than satisfied. His efforts had succeeded beyond his fondest desires.On one occasion, Moses cried out to God, and God said to him, “Why do you cry to me?” (Exodus 14:15). Actually, Moses on this occasion did not utter a word, but deep sighs came from his heart in the hour of need. Such sighs God calls cries.St. Paul also declares that God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Trials, fear, and distress serve to bring out these sighs. They teach us how to sigh to God in prayer.SL 11:922 (9)AE 77:255PRAYER: You know the meaning of our sighs, heavenly Father, and Your Holy Spirit can also interpret them for us at Your throne of grace. Hear us, accordingly, when we sigh to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - MONDAYLESSON: JAMES 1:5-8“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24In our prayers, we should firmly believe that God’s promise to us is always sure and certain and have no doubt that He will give us what He promises. Words of promise from God always call for faith on our part. Faith is a firm, undoubted confidence in the truth of God’s promise. He who prays to God with doubts in his heart is tempting God. He has his doubts about God’s will and grace. His prayer must be meaningless. He gropes after God like a blind man for a wall.St. John writes: “This is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him” (1 John 5:14-15). In these words, St. John describes how a truly believing heart prays. It is quite sure and certain that prayer is heard and that it will be answered.The Holy Spirit must give this faith and absolute certainty. Without the Holy Spirit, there can be no real Christian prayer. Try it out now and pray in this way! Then you will also experience the wonderful sweetness of this promise of God. You will also gain courage and the comfort of heart to make a variety of prayers, no matter how great or high the petitions may be.SL 11:920 (5-6)AE 77:253-54PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your promises to us are sure and certain. Therefore, we take You at Your Word and bring all our requests and needs before You in prayer in the confidence that You will hear and answer them, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:23-30“Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name.” John 16:23The Gospel for Rogate speaks to us about Christian prayer and what makes a prayer truly Christian.The first thing of importance here is God’s promise. This is the real basis of Christian prayer and the source from which it derives its power. Christ here assures us that what we ask will be given to us, and He does this with a solemn pledge when He declares, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, He will give it to you in my name.”Christ gives us this assurance to make us quite certain that our prayers will be heard. He chides the disciples for having been sluggish in prayer. “Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name,” He says to them. He wants them to understand that God is always prepared to give to them much earlier than they ask and much more than they ask. He offers His blessings to His disciples; they are available whenever they deign to receive them.It is truly a great disgrace and a severe punishment upon us Christians that Christ can still reproach us with sluggishness in asking and that such a rich and excellent promise does not incite us to exercise the privilege of prayer.Here is a great treasure untapped before us, and we make so little effort to exercise the privilege of prayer and to utilize its power in Christian faith and life. God Himself bases prayer on His promise, and on this basis, He also urges us to pray.SL 11:918 (2-3)AE 77:252-53PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You have invited us to bring all our needs before You in prayer in the name of our Savior. Hear our prayer, which we offer in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - SATURDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:11-14It is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22If I am to be accounted righteous before God, it is not enough for me to do good works externally; I must do them from the bottom of my heart with delight and in love, so that I stand unafraid before sin, death, and the devil, free and joyful, with a good conscience and all confidence before God, knowing how I stand with Him.No work and no creature can give me any assurance here. When it comes to righteousness before God, I must look to Christ alone, to Him who has gone to the Father in heaven where I cannot see Him but must believe that He is up above and will help me. This faith makes me acceptable to God, for Christ gives me the Holy Spirit in my heart. It is He who makes me ready and glad to perform all good works. In this way, I am accounted righteous before God and in no other way.As long as you operate with works, you will become more and more wretched and disconsolate the more that you devote yourself to them. The more you rest your faith on Christ alone as your one and only hope and source of righteousness and salvation, the more you will experience the real joy of salvation in Christ. Where Christ is really acknowledged for what He is, the Holy Spirit cannot remain absent.SL 11:871 (17-18)PRAYER: Thanks be to You, heavenly Father, for the riches of Your grace and mercy in Christ Jesus and also for the seal and guarantee that you have given us in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, that we are your beloved children in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - FRIDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31“[The Holy Spirit] will convince the world … of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.” John 16:8-10Righteousness means piety, a good and honest life before God. Jesus says here that He will convince the world of righteousness, “because I go to the Father.”We have often stated that Christ’s resurrection did not take place for His benefit but for our sakes; hence, we should make it our very own possession. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to establish a spiritual kingdom in which He reigns in us by means of righteousness and truth. He is not just sleeping and resting in heaven or amusing Himself there in idleness, but, as Paul reminds us, He is continually active and busy here on earth in His Church, ruling consciences and souls by the Gospel (cf. Ephesians 1:22).Wherever Christ is preached and acknowledged, He now rules in us from God’s right hand, and He Himself is present with us here in our hearts. He rules in His kingdom here on earth in such a way that he exercises power, might, and authority over us and all our foes and helps to free us from sin, death, the devil, and hell. His resurrection and ascension are our consolation, life, salvation, and righteousness.This is what Christ means here when He states that men become righteous before God because He goes to His Father and we see Him no more. This the world cannot understand. The Holy Spirit must come to convince the world of its ignorance in this respect.SL 11:870 (15-16)PRAYER: Continue to abide with us, Lord Jesus, as our consolation, life, salvation, and righteousness in Your kingdom of truth and salvation, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 32[Christ] is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25God makes it quite clear to us that, if we want to get rid of our sins, we must be able to pay the price with quite different works from those which we perform for ourselves. For even our very best works are still marred by sin, even the works by which we imagine that we are reconciling ourselves to God and atoning for our sins.Is it not foolish to try to blot out sins with sins? Even in the very best works that you can perform you are sinning, for the simple reason that you cannot perform these works gladly and readily with all your heart. If you were not motivated by fear of some sort of punishment, you would probably prefer to postpone these works.With these works of yours, you actually try to atone for little sins with big sins, or you commit sins just as great as the ones of which you are trying to rid yourselves. It is really great blindness for a man not to see what sin is, or to know what good works are, and to confuse sins with good works. The Holy Spirit, therefore, comes and convinces the world of sin by showing men that it is sin to reject Christ and not to believe in Him.What is the solution? Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken your sin away and your sins will be gone. If you do not get rid of your sins in this way, you will fall deeper and deeper into sin and its clutches.SL 11:869 (12-13)PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, may our faith in the sufficiency of Your work of salvation never weaken but ever increase in and through the consolation of Your Gospel of grace and love. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25What no eyes have seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him, God has revealed to us through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10Putting it in other words, Christ says, “If they had believed in me, everything would have been bestowed upon them as a free gift; for I know that there is no other alternative available to them by nature. But that they refuse to accept me or believe that I cannot help them will mean condemnation for them.”On judgement day, God’s judgement upon them will run something like this: “You found yourselves in sins and were unable to rescue yourselves. But for all that, it was not my will that you should be condemned. I sent my only Son to you and wanted to give Him to you as a gift so that He might take away your sins. But you refused to accept Him. And so, you are now being condemned solely and only because you do not have Christ as your Savior.”The words of the Gospel are spoken in honor and praise of the high grace that has been given to us in our Lord Jesus Christ. The conception of such a plan of salvation is absolutely above man’s reason.Reason can only think as follows, “I sinned in works, and so, I must make restitution with works, blot out my sins, and pay for them with works, so that I may obtain the assurance of a gracious God.” This is the highest point that reason can reach. In actual fact, it is nothing but folly and blindness.SL 11:868 (10-11)PRAYER: Honor and praise be to You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for the wonderful grace and mercy bestowed on us in Christ. Your love for us is beyond all powers of reason and understanding. Thanks be to You for Your inexpressible love! Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - TUESDAYLESSON: HEBREWS 10:26-31Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12Christ has come and proclaimed the truth that everything we do apart from the Holy Spirit, no matter how great it is and how lovely it appears to be, is sin. We cannot do anything good gladly and willingly without the Holy Spirit. Christ came on earth to take our place. He has taken away all our sins. As a result of this, we have received the Holy Spirit through whom we have also obtained love and the desire to do what God wants us to do.This entire work of Christ is God’s free gift to us, so that we should never presume to come before God with our own works, but solely and only through Christ and His merits. Through the work of Christ, it also comes to pass that sin for us is no longer what we have done contrary to God’s Law. The Law played no part at all in making us righteous and acceptable before God, because by nature we cannot do this.What then is “sin” in view of the work of Christ? It is nothing else but the rejection of the Savior and the refusal to accept Him who can remove our sins from us. Where Christ is present, there is no sin. He brings with Him the Holy Spirit, who enkindles faith in our hearts and the desire to do what is good.The world is no longer convicted or condemned because of any other sin, for Christ has destroyed all sin. In the New Covenant, however, the only thing that is sin is failure to recognize Christ and to accept Him.SL 11:868 (8-9)PRAYER: Of Your mercy and grace, O God, imbue us with such knowledge and understanding of Your wonderful love in Christ that we never allow ourselves by any deception of self-love or the devil to be withdrawn from the circle of Your grace and mercy, in Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - MONDAYLESSON: JOHN 14:12-24“When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convince the world of sin … because they do not believe in me.” John 16:8-9The world is in a wretched plight. Not only is it ignorant of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement, but it cannot recognize this fact, not to mention the utter impossibility of getting rid of this ignorance.Here you see also how all credibility is taken from those who want to train others in the ways of godliness when they do not even know what sin is. It would be both interesting and instructive to examine our theological schools and learned theologians on the means of the one little word “sin.” Have you ever heard it said or taught that “sin” is not believing in Christ? They tell us that “sin” is to speak, desire, or do something contrary to God’s will and commandment.How does this agree with Christ’s statement here that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin “because they do not believe in me”? It is not so difficult to convict the world of being ignorant of sin, even though it is a very learned world. The world will not find it easy to explain this text.SL 11:866 (3)PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, keep us ever mindful of the seriousness of the sin of rejecting your salvation in Christ. Open our hearts by Your Holy Spirit so that we may cling firmly in true faith to Christ and all His blessings for us, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:5-15When he comes, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement. John 16:8When the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, comes, He will convince the world of blindness and ignorance. All men who have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, no matter how clever they may be thought to be by prevailing external circumstances, rules, or dealings, are fools and blind before God. They do not like being reminded of this. In fact, they become very cross and angry if you tell them that all their achievements count for nothing at all before God. They are quite sure that the reason and natural light that God has created in them must at least count for something.What can we reply?There stands the Scripture, the Word of God, plain and clear, telling us that the Holy Spirit will come and convince the world of ignorance in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgement.This is a fixed determination; it cannot be modified or changed. Let him who will, be angry; this is no concern of Christ here.SL 11:865 (2)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, pour Your Holy Spirit upon us in rich measure, so that we are not ignorant of Your Word and salvation like the world is in its blindness, but may at all times cling in firm faith to Your saving Word, the vehicle of Your enlightening Spirit. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - SATURDAYLESSON: PSALM 145:1-13“I go to the Father.” John 16:10Christ wanted His disciples to come to a clear understanding of His statement, “I go to the Father.” The meaning of this statement was hidden; not even the disciples knew what Jesus meant. Put into other words, Christ, instead of speaking about going to the Father, could simply have stated, “I must die, and you must also die.”According to his Old Adam, Peter wanted to die with the Lord; this was a kind of vision of grandeur for Peter. All of us, no doubt, would also volunteer to die with Christ as all the other disciples offered to do (Matthew 26:35). But all such ideas must disappear from our view of things; an hour must come for us when Christ is not at our side, not dying with us, when we know not where to look for help, like a woman in childbirth.When that hour arrives, you will come to the Father, that is, God fills you with power from on high, makes of you a new man who no longer has any fears, with a heavenly nature which raises itself in faith. Then you will become courageous and bold. Why? Because you have come to the Father.Who can ever overthrow the almighty power of God? No one! There is no one who can do anything to you that can really harm you.SL 11:840 (29)PRAYER: Bring us to the Father, Lord Jesus, that with the help of His almighty power we may overcome all our fears and difficulties and do our full duty as Your disciples, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3- FRIDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:3-11There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12We can never form a correct estimate of persecutions, trials, and other troubles, or understand them correctly, unless Christ Himself awakens and enlightens us, and His resurrection becomes a power in us. All our own pretentious doings must be shattered and accounted as nothing.In the Gospel for this week (John 16:16-23), we are given a powerful reminder that man with all his own powers is nothing. Here we have a condemnation and refutation of all that was formerly proclaimed about good works and all that may be claimed for good works in a similar way in the future. This much is quite clear: where Christ is absent, there is nothing significant for any Christian.Ask St. Peter how he was minded when Christ was not with him and what kind of good works he performed? He denied Christ and confirmed his denial with cursing and swearing (Matthew 26:74). Those are the kind of good works we perform when Christ is not with us.All this should help us to build on Christ alone and to rely on no other creature in heaven or on earth. In His name alone and in no other, there is preservation and salvation for us (Acts 4:12; 10:43).SL 11:836 (18-19)PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, enlighten us in such a way by Your Holy Spirit that we learn to trust with our whole hearts in the salvation that You alone have provided for us as the beginning and the ending of our Christian faith. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 33:13-22“You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22These words are spoken to all Christians. A Christian must face temptation, fear, distress, opposition, and sorrow in whatever manner they may arise. Jesus makes no mention here of suffering on a cross; He simply mentions “sorrow,” and that they will have reason to “weep and lament.”In the world, Christians always experience persecutions of many kinds. Some suffer the loss of goods; others come under disgrace and contempt as the result of evil rumors. Some are drowned; others burnt. Some even lose their head. One meets his end in this way; another in that way. It is the invariable experience of the Christian to suffer misfortune and persecution. Only rarely is he quite free from distress and opposition. He is always being belabored and flogged in some way or other, and he can look for nothing better as long as he is here on earth. This is the badge by which he is known. He who is a Christian must not be ashamed of this badge.Why does God act in this way? Why does He allow His children to be persecuted and hounded in this manner? He does it to subdue and suppress man’s free will so that man does not seek help and assistance from his own efforts, but, as far as free will is concerned, he becomes a fool in regard to the works of God and learns to trust and rely on God alone and not on himself.SL 11:835 (16-17)PRAYER: It is Your will, heavenly Father, that we must experience trials and tribulations as Your children in the midst of a hostile world. Strengthen our faith and endue us with the grace to squarely meet all our commitments, for the love of our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-19If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14Like the disciples of old, we are not slow in choosing crosses and sufferings for ourselves in the belief that we shall endure them without much difficulty. Peter declared boldly that he would rather die than deny Christ, and all the other disciples concurred with him (Matthew 26:35). But when the particular hour arrives, contrary to your expectation, you will hardly stand your ground unless you have become a new man. The Old Adam gives up very quickly and cannot stand up to any great pressure. To do that is quite contrary to his inclinations, purposes, and aims.So, you must have your own little hour in which you suffer for a time. Christ withdraws Himself from you and allows you to become enmeshed in the power of sin, death, and hell. Your heart will become powerless to devise a way of bringing peace to your conscience, do whatever it may. Christ goes on His way and dies. Then you will hear the little refrain: “A little while, and you will see me no more.”Where will you turn? There is no consolation, no help anywhere. You are held fast in the midst of sin, in the midst of death, in the midst of hell. If Christ did not come to you in this situation, without any merit on your part, you would have to remain forever in such fear and terror. This would also have been the situation of the disciples had Christ not risen and become alive again. Therefore, it was necessary for Him to rise again from the dead.SL 11:834 (12)  PRAYER: In the resurrection of Your Son, our Lord heavenly Father, you have given us sure and certain proof of the validity of His death for the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation. Grant us the full joy of believing this with our whole hearts, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - TUESDAYLESSON: HABAKKUK 2:2-4You have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. “For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry.” Hebrews 10:36-37The first “little while” which Jesus mentioned when He said, “A little while, and you will see me no more,” the disciples understood very soon after this when they saw Him taken captive and put to death. But the second “little while” when He said, “Again, a little while, and you will see me,” they could not comprehend. We cannot comprehend this either. Moreover, the explanation He offered, “Because I go to the Father” (v.10), was even less intelligible to them.This is also our experience. Although we know and hear that trials, misfortune, and sorrow are to endure only for “a little while,” existing circumstances always present a different picture from what we believe. We begin to have doubts and waver and find it difficult to resign ourselves to our allotted obligations. We hear well enough, and we know quite well that it will be only “a little while”; but just how things will turn out we do not know, as was the case with the disciples.If they cannot comprehend this, why does Jesus mention it to them? He says it so that we should not lose heart, but cling firmly to the Word, as He says, believing that it is quite sure and certain. We should be sure that matters cannot be otherwise than set forth in the Word, however much appearances may be to the contrary. Even if a man cannot at once believe the Word, God comes to his assistance. God does this without assistance from human reason, man’s free will, or any contribution by man. SL 11:832 (7-8) PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, to You we look for mercy, grace, and faith, so that we may confidently accept the promises and assurances of Your Word, for the sake of Him who is the Word, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - MONDAYLESSON: PSALM 30:1-5“A little while, and you will see me no more; again, a little while, and you will see me.” John 16:16“A little while,” Jesus says, “and you will see me no more.” He is about to be taken captive and put to death on the cross. But this will not be for long. During this “little while” they will certainly be sad. “But cling firmly to Me and follow me,” the Lord means to say to His disciples, “matters will soon take a turn for the better.” He would be in the grave for only three days, during which the world would rejoice as though it had triumphed over Him. And His disciples would mourn and weep.“Again, a little while, and you will see me,” says Jesus to His disciples, “because I go to the Father” (cf. John 16:10). He would rise again on the third day, and they would rejoice, and their joy no man would take from them. It would not be a joy just for three days like the joy of the world, but eternal joy. In these words, the evangelist John has set forth an excellent summary of the death and resurrection of Christ: “A little while, and you will see me no more; again, a little while, and you will see me.”The “little while” has special significance for us. Grief is but for a moment, a “little while,” as the Lord also reminds His children through Isaiah, “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment, I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:7-8).SL 11:831 (4-6)PRAYER: You have assured us, heavenly Father, that You will never lay a cross on us without supplying us with the strength to bear it and that joy will always follow our sorrows. Fix this firmly in our hearts by faith, so that we boldly endure unto the end, in and through Jesus and His love. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:16-23“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” John 16:20You see here how Christ announces to His disciples that they will become sad because He is about to leave them. They are still quite simple and unlearned, considerably disturbed by what Jesus said when He instituted His Holy Supper. They cannot understand what He is talking about. Indeed, the subject of Christ’s discussion here is too profound and incomprehensible for our weak, fallen nature. It was necessary for the disciples to be sorrowful before they experienced joy.Christ Himself is an example for us, to show us that we cannot enter glory without a cross. That is also why He said to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26).If the beloved disciples were about to experience great joy, it was necessary for them to have previously experienced great sadness. This joy, however, came to them from the Lord Jesus, for in the Gospel it is established that outside of Christ there is no joy. On the other hand, where Christ is, there is no sorrow, as we are clearly reminded in the text.SL 11:830 (2)PRAYER: In You alone, Lord Jesus, there is the true joy of salvation. Implant this in our hearts in full measure as our greatest treasure, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - SATURDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 5:13-16I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16The source of all power in Christ’s kingdom rests in God’s Word of truth and salvation. Those who hear that Word and believe it are members of God’s kingdom.Among the members of God’s kingdom, the Word becomes so powerful that it provides them with all that they need and brings them all the blessings they desire. For it is the power of God which both can and does save all who believe it, as Paul reminds the Romans.If you believe that Christ died to rescue you from every misfortune and cling to the Word on this basis, it becomes so sure and firm that no creature can overturn it. Even as no one can overthrow this Word, no one can really harm you, inasmuch as you believe in it. With this Word, then, you overcome sin, death, the devil, and hell, and eventually you will also find your refuge with the Word in eternal peace, joy, and life. In short, you will become a partaker of all the power and might which the Word contains.God’s kingdom is really a wonderful kingdom. The Word is in this kingdom and is orally proclaimed before the whole world. But the power of the Word is quite hidden; none become aware of the activity and great importance of the Word except those who believe. This must be experienced and tasted in the heart.SL 11:781 (7)PRAYER: Open our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, Lord God, that we always receive Your saving Word for what it is, the source of all our knowledge and power as Your children. Help us through Your means of grace to grow and increase as Your children, in and through Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - FRIDAYLESSON: PSALM 23He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. Ephesians 4:10You have heard how our Lord Jesus Christ, after His suffering and death, was translated and entered an immortal existence. We must not understand this to mean that Christ is now sitting idly up in heaven and that He is nothing but an object of continual joy to Himself alone. He has taken over the full kingship of His kingdom and is exercising full rule over His kingdom. He is the King of whom all the prophets and the whole of Scripture has so much to tell us. St. Paul says that he now fills all things. And so, we must ever regard Christ as being continually present in His kingdom and exercising the government of His kingdom.We must not hold the view that He is sitting up in heaven in a state of idleness, but that from heaven above He now rules and fills all things, as St. Paul reminds us. He is especially concerned with His kingdom, which exists wherever the Christian faith exists. Therefore, His kingdom is present in our midst here on earth. In regard to this kingdom, matters have been so ordained that it should improve and become purer from day to day. This kingdom is not ruled by any forms of outward authority and might but by the oral preaching of the Word of God and, more especially, by the preaching of the Gospel.SL 11:780 (6)PRAYER: Your presence in our midst, Lord Jesus, is a source of great consolation and joy to us at all times. Continue to bless us, especially in the proclamation of Your Word of salvation. Let it always have free course in our midst, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - THURSDAYLESSON: ROMANS 2:19-26The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17You have often heard how God sent a twofold proclamation into the world. The one is to proclaim God’s Word as Law and tell men: “You shall have no other gods before me.…You shall not kill, commit adultery, steal” (Exodus 20:3,13-15). In this proclamation, men also hear the threat that if they do not keep this Law they will die. This proclamation never succeeds in making a man truly righteous in his heart. For although a man is compelled by this proclamation to live a pious life outwardly before his fellow men, in his heart of hearts he is hostile to this Law and would prefer that it did not really exist.The other form in which God’s Word is proclaimed is the Gospel. This tells us where a man must look for the ability to do what the Law demands. The Gospel does not drive a man on with threats; it coaxes men in all friendliness. The Gospel does not say, “Do this; do that!” but, “Come, I will instruct you where you can receive and obtain the wherewithal to become truly acceptable to God. See, here is the Lord Jesus Christ. He will give you all this.”These two forms of proclamation are in opposition to each other, like taking and giving, demanding and donating, and one must get a good grasp of this distinction. This distinction has always played a very important role in God’s government of the world and still does. The Law must be preached to rough, uncouth men who have no knowledge at all of the Gospel. These men must come under the compulsion of the Law until they are mellowed and acknowledge their weaknesses. When they reach this stage, they are ready for the Gospel.   SL 11:778 (2-3)PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, continue to show us by Your holy Law that we are poor, lost, and condemned sinners when judged by our works, but above all, continue to let the light of Your wonderful Gospel shine into our hearts with its message of salvation, for Christ’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 85The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8In preaching Christ, it should be made quite clear that Christ rejects no one, no matter how weak he may be, but readily accepts everyone. He comforts and strengthens His sheep, like the good shepherd that He always is.If Christ is proclaimed in this way, as He really is, the hearts of men will incline to Him of their own accord. There will be no need to use compulsion or force in bringing men to Christ. The Gospel coaxes men and makes them willing so that they get real pleasure and satisfaction in serving Christ.A confident attitude also results from all this. Men begin to love Christ so that they gladly do all that He wants them to do. Confident obedience supplements all forces and compulsion. When we come under compulsion, we render obedience only with ill-will and reluctance. God does not want this. It is all wasted effort.When I begin to realize that the Lord is dealing with me in such a friendly manner, He takes hold of my heart so that I render Him ready obedience. Pleasure and real joy of heart follow.SL 11:786 (20)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are always ready to pardon and forgive us our sins rather than bring us to the judgement we so richly deserve. All this You have made very clear to us in the salvation which Your own Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, accomplished for us. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- TUESDAYLESSON: 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-6A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench. Isaiah 42:3Matthew declares that these words of Isaiah were fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 12:20). A bruised reed is a reed very close to breaking point. One who has received a very serious injury or is carrying a very heavy wound—that is, a Christian who is not only weak and stumbling, but who is overwhelmed in temptation, actually breaking a leg, so to say. It may be that he has fallen so deeply that he denies the Gospel, as Peter did when he denied Christ.Even if such a man has stumbled, suffering a reverse and a complete upset, you should not reject him as though he never belonged to Christ’s kingdom. You must allow Christ to retain His peculiar characteristic, that in His kingdom there is nothing but grace and mercy, pure and abounding. He is ever ready to help those who realize their wretchedness and misery, and who would be glad to get rid of it.Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom where men find true comfort and consolation. He is a consoling, friendly shepherd, coaxing and encouraging every man to draw close to Him. Christ alone is the one true, good shepherd who heals all ills and helps the fallen to rise again. He who does not do that is no shepherd.SL 11:785 (16-17)PRAYER: It is Your declared will, heavenly Father, that all men should learn to know Your mercy, grace, and salvation. Grant that we, too, may become entrusted to help fallen sinners to find real help and consolation, for Christ, our Savior’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - MONDAYLESSON: LUKE 5:27-32“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Matthew 9:12Even though we are weak and sickly, we should still not lose heart and begin to think that we do not belong to the kingdom of Christ. The more we become aware of our infirmities, the closer we should walk with Christ. For it is His office to heal us and to make us well.If you are sick and a sinner and feel your need, you have all the more reason to come to Him and say, “I come to you just because I am a sinner so that you may help me and rescue me from my sins.” In this way, your need drives you to Christ. For the greater your weakness, the more necessary it is for you to seek help and healing. That is also what He desires, and hence He coaxes us so that we joyfully approach Him.Those who are not such shepherds suppose that they can lick people into a godly shape by shouting at them clamorously in hostile fashion and bringing force to bear on them. They succeed only in making matters worse.One sees the result of this on all sides in today’s conditions. Matters have reached such a pass through the activity of hirelings in the Church that utter confusion prevails everywhere. “He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them” (John 10:12).SL 11:784 (15) PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, give us shepherds who really care for Your sheep and protect them from all hirelings, for Christ’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 10:11-16“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11Pastors can never become any more than the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the instruments whereby He continues to proclaim His Word visibly here on earth. He permits His Word to go out into public so that all may heart it, but the inward acceptance of the Word in the heart is a spiritual experience that takes place through faith. It is a hidden work of Christ. Christ accomplishes this work where He recognizes that it must be accomplished in accordance with His divine discernment and pleasure. That is why He also calls Himself “the good shepherd.”What is a “good shepherd”? “The good shepherd,” says Christ, “lays down his life for the sheep … And I lay down my life for the sheep.”This one great act really covers everything. To impress all this upon us, Christ uses a very pleasing illustration. A sheep is really a very foolish creature and usually regarded as a very simple creature. It is proverbial to say of a simple man, “He is a real sheep.” But the sheep possesses one very outstanding quality. It quickly learns to obey the voice of its shepherd, and normally follows no one but its shepherd. It is so constituted that it clings to its shepherd and looks to him for all help and assistance. It cannot help itself, provide pasture or any healing. It is powerless against wolves and is dependent entirely on the help of others.In this respect, the members of Christ’s kingdom are His sheep. In all their needs, they are dependent on Him and look to Him alone for needed help, support, protection, and their whole welfare.SL 11:781 (8-9) PRAYER: We know very well what rich blessedness is ours, Lord God, in being sheep of the Good Shepherd. Preserve us amidst all trials and difficulties here on earth by keeping us ever close to our Good Shepherd, Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - SATURDAYLESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:22-23This is a great and powerful authority which no one can adequately praise, bestowed upon poor mortal man and valid over sin, death, hell, and all things. The pope boasts that Christ has given him authority over all earthly and heavenly matters in the spiritual domain. This could be quite right, correctly understood. But he applies all this to the earthly sphere and government. This is not what Christ means.He is here conferring spiritual authority and government, and He means to say: “When you speak a word over a sinner, this word has also been spoken in heaven, and it avails as much as if God Himself had spoken it in heaven. For when you speak this word, God is in your mouth, and hence, this work is as powerful as a word spoken by God Himself.”It follows, therefore, that when Christ speaks a word because He is Lord over sin and death, and say to you, “Your sins are forgiven you,” then your sins must be gone, and nothing can gainsay it. On the other hand, if He declares, “Your sins are not forgiven you,” then they must remain unforgiven, and in this case not even an angel, or a saint, or any creature can forgive you those sins, even if you martyr yourself to death over them.It is this power to forgive sins that Christ confers on every individual Christian inasmuch as Christ has made all authority in heaven and on earth available to us (Matthew 28:18). Here Christ rules not in any material manner, but spiritually, and He also rules His Christians spiritually.SL 11:731 (15-16)PRAYER: Grant us Your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, the Spirit of truth and understanding, so that we may fully appreciate the very great authority which we enjoy to proclaim forgiveness to our neighbor, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 -FRIDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 4:9-16“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” John 20:21The most important work of love that any Christian can perform after coming to faith in Christ is to bring others to faith in the way he was brought to faith. In this connection, Christ lays an obligation upon every individual Christian and sets up the office of ministering the external Word. He Himself came to the disciples with this office and the external WordLet us grasp this clearly, for we must be told about it, and the Lord wants to tell us here, “You have enough from me: peace and joy, and all that you should have. For your own persons you need no more. Hence, get busy; take a close look at the picture and do as I have done to you! My father sent me into the world for your sakes alone, to help you, not to benefit myself. I have carried out His will, died for you, and given you all that I am and have. Think of this and do likewise. From now on, serve and help everyone else. Otherwise, there is nothing here on earth for you to do. Through faith, you already have enough of everything. And so, I send you out into the world as my Father has sent me. Every single Christian should instruct and teach his neighbor in order to bring him to faith.”This authority has not only been given to the pope and his bishops; it has been entrusted to all Christians. They should openly confess their faith to bring others to that faith as well.SL 11:730 (13)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, give us at all times a joyous faith and a ready tongue to confess You before men and to lead them to the joy of the salvation which is ours in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - THURSDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 2:14-17I can do all things in him [Christ] who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13If I really believe from the bottom of my heart that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His resurrection from the dead, has gained the victory over all that can distress me (sin, death, and all evil); that He wants to be close to me and with me so that there is nothing lacking to me in body and soul; that in Him I have enough of everything and that no misfortune can harm me; if I really believe all this, it becomes impossible for me to become faint-hearted and weak, no matter how heavily sin or even death press upon me.Faith is an ever-present reality telling me, “If sins oppress you and death terrifies you, fix your whole attention on Christ. He died and rose again for your sake; He has overcome all misfortune; what can really harm you?”If any other misfortune, such as sickness or poverty, presses heavily upon you, close your eyes to it and do not let your reason gain the upper hand. Cast yourself upon Christ and cling to Him; in this way, you will be strengthened and comforted. If you look to Christ and rest your faith in Him, no evil that you may encounter is so great that it can really harm you and make you despondent. Where true faith exists, peace must also follow. It cannot be otherwise.SL 11:728 (9) PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, heavenly Father, for the riches of all the blessings available to us in and through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially the wonderful peace of heart and mind which is ours even in the midst of trial and tribulation. Keep us ever in Your love and grace, in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63. 

EASTER - WEEK 1  - WEDNESDAYLESSON: ACTS 14:19-22We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character. Romans 5:3-4True Christian peace, which calms the heart and brings contentment to the soul, is not necessarily the accompaniment of a time when no misfortune is at hand, but it can come to men in the midst of misfortune, when all without is anything but peace. This is the difference between earthly peace and the peace of Christ.Earthly peace arises from the removal of the external evils that have destroyed peace. When foes assemble before a city, there is no peace; but if the foes are removed, peace is restored. The same hold for poverty and sickness; when they press upon you, you are discontented. But when they are removed and you are rid of your misfortune, you once again enjoy external peace and quiet. Such an alteration of fortune does not necessarily change a man; after his troubles are gone, he can remain just as dejected as he was before their removal. The only difference is that he felt them and was disturbed by them when they were present.Christian or spiritual peace brings about a change. Outwardly, misfortunes in the shape of enemies, sickness, poverty, sin, the devil, and death can certainly continue to press upon you without intermission. In spite of all that, as a Christian you have peace, strength, and consolation inwardly in your heart. A Christian heart is never unduly disturbed by misfortune, and indeed, it is even more courageous and joyful in the face of misfortune than when the latter is absent. That is why it is called by St. Paul a peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).SL 11:726 (7-8)PRAYER: Grant us Your grace, heavenly Father, so that we may never waver in our faith but ever stand fast in the peace and hope secured for us and assigned to us in and through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - MONDAYLESSON: ROMANS 10:14-17“He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16Christ enters our hearts and takes His stand there through the office of the ministry. Since God has given orders that His Word should be preached, we should never in any manner despise the mortal man in whose mouth that Word has been placed, so that we do not form the opinion that each individual must wait for a special sermon from heaven which God Himself preaches to him verbally.Therefore, if God grants faith to anyone, He employs the regular means which He has appointed for this purpose. He accomplishes His end through the preaching of men, through an external, human word.He enters through a closed door when He enters a human heart by means of the Word without smashing or disturbing anything. When God’s Word comes, it does not injure the conscience, disturb the understanding of the heart, or upset the external senses as those false teachers do who smash all doors and windows, break in like thieves and leave nothing whole and undisturbed, and bring it to pass that the whole of life, conscience, understanding, and the senses become completely unhinged and lose all rhyme or reason. Christ does not do this.God’s Word proclaimed by men converts sinners. There are two factors involved: preaching and faith. His coming to us is the preaching or proclamation. His standing in our hearts is faith. It is not enough for Him to stand simply before our eyes and ears; He must stand in our midst, in our hearts, with His gift of peace.SL 11:726 (4)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, awaken and increase in us a true reverence for Your saving Word proclaimed to us by the ministers of Your Word, so that, in this manner, Christ our Savior may take His stand in our hearts with His message of peace and joy as a result of His glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 20:19-31On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19As Christians, we must apply the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to ourselves individually. It is not enough simply to believe that He rose from the dead, for such a faith in itself will not mean peace and joy for us, nor power and might. You must also believe that He rose for your sake and for your benefit. He was not raised into glory for His own sake alone but that He might help you and all who believe in Him and that through His resurrection He might overcome sin, death, and hell.This is also indicated by the way in which Christ enters through the locked doors and steps forth and stands in the midst of His disciples. The manner in which He stood here in the midst of the disciples resembles that manner in which He also stands in our hearts. In this way, He is also in our midst, just as He was standing there among the disciples.When He stands in our hearts in this manner, we hear His loving voice speaking to our conscience, “Be at your ease: there is no need at all for any anxiety. Your sins are forgiven you and removed from you and nothing can henceforth harm you.”SL 11:725 (2-3)PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, in Your great love for us, You gave Your Son to suffer and die for our sins. By His glorious resurrection from the dead, You have demonstrated that the sacrifice of Your Son has been accepted and that now all is well with us in time and eternity, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - SATURDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 27:1-14In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10You must learn to look right through the sufferings of Christ and see His friendly heart, how it is filled with love for you, and how it moved Him to assume the heavy load which your conscience and sins laid on Him. In this way, your heart will be warmed towards Him, and your confidence and faith will be strengthened. Thereupon you should mount even higher through Christ’s heart to God’s heart and see that Christ would never have manifested His love for you if God in His eternal love had not willed it. Christ rendered obedience to God’s love in His love for you.In this way, you will discover the fatherly heart of God in its wonderful goodness, and, as Christ Himself declares, you will be drawn to the Father through Him. Then you will also understand Christ’s saying that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).To come to a true knowledge of God, we must not try to find Him simply in His power of wisdom, which can be bewildering, but we must grasp Him in His goodness and love. In this respect, faith and confidence have something to cling to, and man becomes truly born anew in God.SL 11:581 (14)AE 76:431PRAYER: Make it ever more clear and certain for us, heavenly Father, that in all that Christ our Savior bore and suffered for us sinners, love was operating and that in this manifestation of love You have clearly revealed our inner and true nature to us, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - FRIDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:69-75Jesus our Lord … was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25You cast your sins from yourself on to Christ when you firmly believe that His wounds and sufferings are your sins, that He bore them and paid for them as Isaiah declared: “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Peter also says: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,” that is, the cross (1 Peter 2:24), and St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, AV).On this and similar passages you must stake everything in full reliance, and the more so if your conscience is giving you serious trouble. If you do not do this but presume to quieten your conscience by way of your own penitence and satisfaction, you will never find peace and end up in despair. It does not matter how much penitence and satisfaction we have to offer; our sins keep on piling up and gaining the upper hand. But when we see them borne by Christ and conquered by His glorious resurrection from the dead and we have boldness of faith, our sins are dead and blotted out. For they could not remain on Christ. They have been swallowed up by His resurrection. Now you see no wounds, no pains in Him, that is, no signs of sin.SL 11:580 (13)AE 76:430PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, Lord Jesus, for the complete victory over sin which You gained for us when You bore our sins on the cross and destroyed them in Your glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - THURSDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 4:13-15Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” John 20:17In these words of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, as reported in John’s Gospel, Jesus sets forth a very clear explanation of the benefit and profit of His death and resurrection. “Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”This is one of the great consolatory passages of the Gospel at which we can knock with all boldness and confidence. It is as though Christ is saying here, “Go, Mary, and tell my disciples, those deserters, who really merited punishment and eternal damnation, that my resurrection will redound to their great advantage. Through my resurrection I have brought it about that my Father is your Father and my God your God.”A few brief words! But they contain a very important truth, namely, that we have a trust and confidence in God which is the equal of that which Christ, the very Son of God, Himself has.Who can grasp such boundless joy? Who can explain how a poor, miserable sinner can call God his Father and God, even as Christ Himself does?SL 11:606 (9) PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, Your ways in Jesus Christ our Lord are beyond all our powers of understanding and telling. Grant us the faith to cling with all our hearts to the benefits and profits of our Lord’s resurrection, that with Him You are our Father and our God in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - TUESDAYLESSON: ROMANS 8:14-17[Let your adorning] … be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4The title that we are Christ’s brethren is so exalted that no human heart can really comprehend it. Unless the Holy Spirit confers this grace, no one can say, “Christ is my brother.” No man’s reason would be bold enough to make such a claim, even though it may occasionally be made with the tongue, as in the case of our modern charismatics. Nor is it enough just to make such claims—this must be a matter of the heart—otherwise it is pure hypocrisy.If you really know this in your heart, it will become something so great and important for you, that you will keep quiet about it rather than chatter about it to all and sundry. To be sure, face to face with the magnitude of this blessing, you may even have your doubts and uncertainties whether it is really true or not. Those who are always crying, “Christ is my brother, Christ is my brother!” are not necessarily Christ’s true brethren.With a true Christian it is very different. For a true Christian it is a wonderful thing to hear that he is Christ’s brother. The flesh is dismayed at this, and not so very much will be said and openly acknowledged about it all.SL 11:605 (7)PRAYER: Give us at all times a quiet, confident faith, O Lord, not given to empty and foolish boasting, but fully trusting in your assurance that we are Your brethren in and through Your glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

THE WEEK OF EASTER  - MONDAYLESSON: REVELATION 1:4-8He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Hebrews 2:11The fact that Christ receives such abandoned wretches as you and me and calls us brethren is a fact full of all consolation for us. If Christ is our brother, I would like to know what we still lack?The situation in which we find ourselves is very much like that which exists among earthly brothers. Earthly brothers have common possessions, as well as one father and one inheritance, otherwise they would not be brothers.In Christ, we also share common possessions and have one Father and one inheritance. But this inheritance never becomes less by being shared like an earthly inheritance. It becomes even greater and greater. For it is a spiritual inheritance.The earthly inheritance is dissipated when it is divided into many parts, but in the spiritual inheritance which is ours in Christ, he who has a part of it has all of it.What is this inheritance which makes us Christ’s brothers? In His hands are all times of life and death, sin and grace, and all that is in heaven and on earth, eternal truth, might, wisdom, and righteousness. He rules and reigns over everything—hunger, thirst, good fortune, misfortune, over everything that is conceivable, whether it be in heaven or on earth, not only spiritual matters, but also earthly matters.In short, He has all things in His hands, whether they are eternal or temporal. My faith in Christ, then, full covers all my needs.SL 11:604 (4-5)PRAYER: Keep us ever mindful, O Lord, of all that we have for time and eternity in our relationships with You, the beginning and ending of all our faith and hope, as Your privileged brethren, for Your love’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

EASTER DAY - SUNDAYLESSON: MARK 16:1-8Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:10Jesus Himself pointed out the benefit of His suffering, death, and resurrection when He said to the women, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”This is the first word that they heard from Jesus after His resurrection from the dead. He hereby confirms all His former teachings, as well as the blessings He had already conferred on them. They are reminded here that they will now indeed be the recipients of all these blessings. Not only this but He also intimates that the Christians who believe His words are His “brethren” even though they do not see like the apostles did.He does not wait until we beg or beseech Him that we may become His brethren. All ideas of meritorious services are completely ruled out here.What did the apostles merit? Peter denied the Lord three times; the other disciples all fled from Him; they stayed with Him like a hare stays with its young. He should have called them deserters, traitors, and scoundrels rather than brethren. So, this word was sent to them through these women by sheer mercy and grace.The apostles could not help feeling this. We feel it, too, when we are held fast in sins, temptations, and damnation.SL 11:603 (2-3)PRAYER: We thank and praise you, dear Lord Jesus, for the wonderful grace and mercy which You have so richly bestowed upon us unworthy sinners in demonstrating by Your resurrection that we are Your brethren, with all the privileges of brethren. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

HOLY WEEK - SATURDAYLESSON: 1 JOHN 5:6-12The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. Ephesians 1:3, 5-8When we discover what the Gospel of God’s free and unmerited love really is, we see how foolish it is to teach that people should bear suffering and death patiently to atone for their sins and to obtain grace. Some claim that if one bears all this patiently and willingly, all one’s sins will be forgiven accordingly. These people are seducers, because they conceal Christ with His death upon which our comfort depends. They induce people to rely on their own suffering and death.This is the very worst thing that can befall anyone in the end, because it is a way that leads straight into hell. You must learn to say, “What is my death and patience? Nothing at all! I will have nothing at all to do with it and will close my ears to it as far as any consolation is concerned. Christ’s suffering and death is my one consolation. On this I place my reliance and trust that through it my sins are forgiven. I will gladly suffer death for my God’s praise and honor freely, gratuitously, and in my neighbor’s service, but place no reliance on it for myself.”SL 11:527 (5)AE 76:351-52PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thanks and praise be to You for the completeness of Your work of salvation for us and for making this known to us in Your holy Gospel for our eternal comfort and consolation. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - GOOD FRIDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14, 15Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18Thorns pricked the sacred head of Christ, but you have actually deserved the pricks of more than a hundred thousand thorns. To be sure, you have deserved to be pricked by such thorns in all eternity, and much worse than He was pricked. Christ had to suffer the agony of having His hands and feet pierced with nails; you have deserved to suffer from much worse nails in eternity.This is what will indeed befall those who disregard Christ’ suffering on their behalf. In this grim reflection, Christ does not lie or scold; what He indicates must surely follow. St. Bernard says, “I thought I was secure and knew nothing of the eternal sentence passed upon me in heaven until I saw that the only-begotten Son of God had mercy on me, stepped forth, and submitted to the sentence of condemnation on my behalf. If there is such seriousness here, it is not for me to play around any longer and to be secure.”This also explains Christ’s words to the women of Jerusalem: “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.… If they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:28, 31). Jesus means to say: “From my sufferings, learn what you have deserved and what will befall you.”Christ’s sufferings should always be pondered with the greatest of seriousness on our part. They are written for our warning to teach us the awful and horrible nature of sin.SL 11:577 (6-7)AE 76:427PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, let the awful sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ be for us a continual reminder of the horrible nature of all sin in your sight. Move us at all times to a serious consideration of our Savior’s passion and death on our behalf. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - MAUNDY THURSDAYLESSON: ROMANS 15:1-6Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2Not the least part of love or self-surrender is for me to be able to give away my self-conceit or arrogance. I can no doubt give my neighbor temporal good and bodily service with my painstaking toil. I can also serve him with instruction and intercession, for example, by visiting him and consoling him when he is sick or sad. I can feed him when he is hungry, free him from imprisonment, and such like. But the greatest of all the services I can render my neighbor is bearing his weakness.We will always fall short of the mark here. We will never attain to the perfection of Christ in this regard. He is the pure, bright Sun in which there is no mist. Our light is just like a glimmering stalk of straw in comparison with this Sun. Christ is a glowing oven full of fire and perfect love. But He is still satisfied with our little candle, if we provide some sort of evidence of letting our love shine forth.Take a look at the Gospel record and see how Christ dealt with His disciples. He bore with them when they were guilty of foolish conduct and even when they, at times, went astray. In their service, His wisdom yielded to their folly. He did not condemn them but bore their weakness with long-suffering patience. “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand,” He tells them on one occasion (John 13:7). Through such love He gives up His righteousness, judgement, might, wrath, punishment, and the rights he has over us and our sins. He could condemn us because of our folly. But He does no more than to say, “You are in the wrong; you do not know anything; do not, however, reject me, but trust me.”And so I say that it is no small example of love to be able to bear with our neighbor when he is weak in faith and love.SL 11:597 (26)AE 76:445-46PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, fill our hearts at all times with such love for our neighbor that we understand his weaknesses and needs and continue to bear with him, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 19:7-14They understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said. Luke 18:34What Jesus said to the disciples had no meaning for them at this time. “This saying was hid from them.” This amounts to saying, “Reason, flesh, and blood cannot understand or grasp that Scripture should declare how the Son of Man must be crucified.” Still less can it understand that such is His will, and that He does this gladly.Reason does not believe that this is necessary for us; it wants to take care of itself before God with works. God must reveal this in our hearts by His Spirit, after proclaiming it outwardly into our ears by His Word.Even those to whom the Spirit reveals it inwardly find it hard to believe this and have to struggle with this.So great and wonderful a thing it is that the Son of man is crucified willingly and gladly to fulfill the Scriptures, that is, for our good. It is a mystery and remains a mystery.SL 11:527 (4)AE 76:351PRAYER: O Lord, we are always in need of the enlightenment of Your Holy Spirit through Your Word. We thank You that, through the Spirit, we can understand the treasures of Your Word and make them our own. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - TUESDAYLESSON: HEBREWS 10:1-7[Christ said,] “‘Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,’ as it is written of me in the roll of the scroll.” Hebrews 10:7Christ’s sufferings are understood correctly when we do not simply regard the sufferings as such but recognize and grasp His heart and will to suffer. For if one regards His sufferings in isolation without recognizing His heart and will therein, one will be shocked by Christ’s sufferings rather than rejoice in them. But if one sees that Christ’s heart and will are in these sufferings, it produces real comfort, confidence, and pleasure in Christ.The psalmist praises this will of God and Christ in suffering when he says, “In the roll of the scroll it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:7-8). The epistle to the Hebrews also refers to this when it says, “By that will we have been sanctified” (Hebrews 10:10). It does not say through the suffering and blood of Christ, which is pure enough, but through the will of God and of Christ, that they were both of one will to sanctify us through Christ’s blood.This will to suffer He also manifests in the Gospel (Matthew 16:21-23), where He proclaims beforehand that He is going up to Jerusalem to suffer Himself to be crucified. It is as though He were saying, “Look into my heart to see that I am doing this willingly, without compulsion, and gladly, so that you may not be shocked or dismayed thereby when you see it come to pass and begin to think that I am doing it unwillingly, that I must do it, that I am forsaken, and that the Jews are doing it by their authority.”SL 11:526 (3)AE 76:350-51PRAYER: Thanks be to You, loving Father, for sending us such a ready and willing Savior, whose love for us has been manifested in His readiness and willingness to suffer and die for us and in our stead. Mercy and love are all Your ways, and those of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - MONDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 16:21-23Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 16:21-23 before He entered upon His suffering, as He was on His way to Jerusalem. His immediate purpose was to celebrate Easter at Jerusalem. In all probability, the disciples had not the slightest idea of His impending sufferings at this time. They thought that they would have a joyful time at the festival.Christ mentions His sufferings on this journey so that the faith of His disciples might be strengthened later on when they recalled His words in which He had told them of His sufferings. He had submitted to these sufferings willingly and was not simply crucified through the power and cunning of the Jews.Isaiah had long foretold that He would willingly and gladly offer Himself (Isaiah 53:7). The angel, on Easter morning, also reminded the women to remember the words He had spoken to them (Luke 24:6) that they might know and more firmly believe that He suffered all this willingly and for our good.SL 11:526 (2)AE 76:350PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thanks and praise to You for Your willingness and readiness to suffer and die on our behalf and for our good, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen.

SIXTH SUNDAY IN LENT – PALMARUMPALM SUNDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 13:45-46“If anyone keeps my word.” John 8:51It is quite clear from the context in which these words stand what Jesus means here by “keeping” His Word. He does not mean “keeping” in the sense that “keep” has when one speaks about “keeping” the Law. One “keeps” the Law by means of works. When Christ speaks here of “keeping” His Word, He means “keeping” it in one’s heart by faith, not keeping it with the fist or with works.This is the wrong idea that the Jews have when they rage in such a horrible fashion against Christ and say to Him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death’” (John 8:52). They do not know what “keep,” “dying,” and “living” mean in this context.It is not without good reason that Jesus employs the word “keep” here, because keeping His Word involves a struggle and a battle, for sin bites, death exerts its presence, and hell threatens. Under such conditions we must “keep” Christ’s Word, cling to it firmly, and not let ourselves be parted from it.Note how Christ replies to the Jews in praise of His doctrine. “You claim,” He says, “that my Word is from the devil and you want to suppress it even beneath hell. But I say that it has divine power within it and exalt it above all the heavens and all creatures.”SL 11:570 (9)AE 76:412PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have clearly shown us in our Gospel that Your teaching is the most precious thing we can ever learn in our earthly lives. Grant us Your grace to appreciate this fact at all times so that we keep Your Word, for Your truth’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - SATURDAYLESSON: HEBREWS 1:1-13Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58Jesus gives the basis and reason why it is just His Word and not that of anyone else which makes men live. It is simply this: that He “was” even before Abraham. “Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus is the one true God.If the person who offered Himself for us were not God, it would help and avail nothing before God that He was born of a virgin or had suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the seed of Abraham, who gives Himself for us, is also the true God makes His sacrifice such a blessing for us and conquers sin and death for us.Jesus is not speaking here of His human nature which could be seen and felt. From His human aspect, it could be seen that He was not yet fifty years old and, hence, could not have seen Abraham. But with the nature by which He infinitely antedated Abraham, He also antedated all other creatures and the whole world.According to His spiritual essence, He was also man before Abraham; that is, in the word and knowledge of faith, He was in the saints who all knew and believed that Christ, God and man, would suffer for us. The writer of Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In the Revelation of John we read of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Here Jesus is speaking of His divine nature.SL 11:573 (14)AE 76:414PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, fill our hearts with such faith and knowledge that we always fully appreciate the precious gift of Your only begotten Son, and all the blessings of salvation You have so richly bestowed on us in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - FRIDAYLESSON: GALATIANS 3:15-18“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” John 8:56Christ here declares in opposition to the Jews that Abraham and the prophets still live and never died, but that in the midst of death they have life. But they lie and sleep in death. “Your father Abraham,” He says, “rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” The prophets also saw Him.Where and when did they see Him? Not with bodily eyes, as the Jews understood Him to say, but with the vision of the faith which they had in their hearts. Abraham recognized Christ when He said to him, “By your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves” (Genesis 22:18). At that time, he saw and understood that Christ was to be born from his seed through a pure virgin and suffer for the whole world. He would not be cursed along with Adam’s children but remain blessed. He knew that his message would be proclaimed in all the world and bestow a blessing on the whole of mankind.Christ’s “day” is the time of the Gospel, which is the light of this day which shines with Christ, the sun of righteousness, and lights up all the world.This is a spiritual “day,” but it had a historical beginning in Christ’s time, which Abraham also “saw.”SL.XI.572,13AE 76,413PRAYER: Open the eyes of our faith and understanding by Your Holy Spirit, O Lord, that with Abraham of old we always rejoice to have seen Christ’s day, the day of salvation, and are really happy and joyful in our knowledge of Christ. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - THURSDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:51-56I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. Psalm 118:17How does it come to pass that one does not see death or taste it when Abraham and all the prophets died, who certainly had the Word of God, as the Jews also maintained? Here we must pay close attention to what Christ actually says and note that He makes a distinction between death in the ordinary common sense and not seeing death or tasting death.We must all pass through death and die. But a Christian does not taste death or see death, that is, he does not feel death. He is not terrified in the face of death. He enters it quietly and softly, as though he is falling asleep and not dying at all. But the godless man must feel death and be terrified by it eternally.To taste death means to experience the power and might or the bitterness of death and, indeed, eternal death and hell. God’s Word makes this distinction. The Christian knows this, and it helps him in the hour of death. He does not see heat. He sees nothing but life and Christ in the Word, and so he does not feel death. But the godless man does not have this Word; he has no life, but sheer death. So, he feels death, and eventually this is also the bitterness of eternal death.With the believer it is all so very different. He knows the Word of Christ: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25,26).SL.XI.571,10AE 76,412PRAYER: Be with us, dear Lord Jesus, especially in the hour of our death, that, firmly relying on Your promises, we may not taste death but pass through death into life eternal, as You have assured us. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: JOHN 17:1-5“Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” John 8:51Jesus really spoils things for His enemies when He not only offers a good and stout defense of His doctrine but ascribes such might to it that it holds full sway over the devil, death, and sin, imparting eternal life and preserving men therein.See here how divine wisdom and human reason come into conflict! How can any man comprehend that a word spoken physically from a human mouth can save from death eternally?But away with blindness! We want to deal with this beautiful passage. He speaks here not concerning the word of the Law but concerning the word of the Gospel, which is a discourse concerning Christ who died for our sins. God did not want to impart Christ to the world in any other way but by including Him in His Word and thus spreading Him out and setting Him forth. Otherwise, Christ would have remained completely isolated by Himself and would never have become known. And thus, He would have died for Himself alone.Because the Word portrays Christ for us, it portrays for us Him who conquered sin, death, and the devil. Hence, anyone who grasps and holds the Word, grasps and holds Christ, and through the Word he also becomes freed from death eternally. Thus, it is a Word of life. It is true that he who keeps this Word will never see death eternally.SL.XI.570,8AE 76,411PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, O God, for the riches of Your grace and mercy revealed to us in Your holy Gospel, culminating in the assurance of eternal life and salvation in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - TUESDAYLESSON: ROMANS 12:14-21“I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he will be the judge.” John 8:50Why does Jesus not say in John 8:49, “I honor my Father and you dishonor Him”? He says, “You dishonor me.”In a veiled manner, He indicates that His Father’s honor and His own honor are identical, one and the same thing, just as He is one God together with His Father. At the same time, however, He wants to remind us that if our ministry in praise of God is to obtain its due honor, it must also suffer shame.We should also keep this in mind in our dealings with rulers and priests. When they question our lives, we will put up with it and repay them with love for hate and good for evil; but when they attack our doctrine, they are attacking God’s honor.Here there must be a limit to love and patience. We must not remain silent but say, “I honor my Father, and so you dishonor me. It does not matter much that you dishonor me, for I am not seeking my own honor. But at the same time take warning! There is one who is seeking my honor and judging it. The Father will demand it from you and not leave you unpunished. He does not only seek His honor, but mine as well, for He has declared, ‘Those who honor me I will honor’ (1 Samuel 2:30).”This is our consolation, so we can be quite joyful. Even though all the world casts shame on us and dishonors us, we are certain that God requires our honor and will punish, judge, and avenge. O that we would only believe it and wait upon Him! He is certainly coming!SL.XI.569,7AE 76,410-11PRAYER: You have assured us, both by much instruction and many examples, O Lord, that You will adequately defend the honor of Your Word and those who proclaim it. Fill our hearts with courage and confidence so that we never lost heart, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.