On the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity.*)
Phil. 3, 17-21.
Follow me, brethren, and see them that walk as ye have us for an example. For many walk, of whom I have often told you, but now I also say with weeping, the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is damnation, to whom the belly is their god, and their glory is put to shame, of those who are earthly minded. But our walk is in heaven, from whence we also wait for the Savior Jesus Christ, the Lord, who shall transfigure our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorified body, according to the working, that he may also make all things subject unto him.
1st Dear friends, you hear St. Paul speaking to those who have accepted the teaching of the gospel, and preaching what we call an exhortation to those who know what they ought to believe and do, lest they sleep and snore, and think that they have all they ought to have; as St. Paul says in the former words, "I count not myself yet to have apprehended it, but I pursue after it, whether I may apprehend it. Now this I have taught, and is alone a beginning.
2 Therefore you see that Paul had such disciples as Christ had; and as we also are, who think we have learned all things in one heap, and can do them afterward. Such people do not remain disciples. This is what happened to the apostles and prophets, and to all who taught for God's sake. Therefore they had more work to make people fools again than before they made them wise.
Look at those who walk as you have us for an example.
(3) As if to say, I beseech you to look to the preachers and Christians who hold to the doctrine, and so live as you have seen me. But is not Paul a trustworthy man who may speak thus? Another might have said, "Do you think that you alone have the Holy Spirit?
and others not? As if I said to you, "See that you listen to those who preach and do as I do. Wouldn't that be prideful arrogance, as if the Holy Spirit were nowhere but with me? As now our gang spirits, yes, probably our citizens and peasants, snore at us and speak: I can do it just as well as the scholars. It was the same in Paul's time, when they said: "Do you alone know, are you alone wise? Shouldn't the Holy Spirit also be with us? As it happened to Mosi and Aaron, that they said to them, "Is God alone with Moses?" etc. So Korah grumbled against Moses. It was as ridiculous in those days as if we wanted to say the same thing about our doctrine now. For St. Paul was as despised in his day as we are now; for he did nothing great that had any renown, but labored with his hands, and lay imprisoned then when he wrote this. Therefore St. Paul is a proud man, that he thus says, "Look on them that walk so," etc., that he may be so bold and proud as to cast down all preachers, and point only to those who have walked as he did. And yet he brings with him a great humility, that he does not want to have the honor alone; but adds also others who teach like him. But he has always had to hear this: We can do it as well as you. And I have often said it, and exhorted you, that ye should keep the doctrine which I preach not alone, but with many others at the same time, that ye may take heed,
if others came and taught differently, as the false teachers do outside. Behold, saith Paul, our image, doctrine, and life, as we have taught and lived etc.
No one believes how necessary this admonition is. If today or tomorrow a spirit of the mob would come, he should preach me away with all pastors and chaplains with two sermons. As St. Paul writes in Gal. 4:14, 15, he was such a good preacher when he was present that they would not only accept him as an apostle, but as an angel, even as Jesus Christ, and would have plucked out their eyes and given them to him. But when he turned his back, it was all over. So it was with the Philippians, as if to say, "I am your preacher while I am present, but I do not know what will happen when I am gone from you. Therefore look to Titum and Timothy etc., and beware of all others. "Look," saith he, "on them that walk so as ye have us for an example," that is, abide in that which ye first received. Thus saith St. John, 1 Ep. 2:24, "That which ye have heard from the beginning abide with you." Therefore St. Paul wants to say: I and my assistants, Titus, Timothy, Sosipater etc., you have seen how they taught and lived, and their and my teachings agree: therefore look at their example. For it follows immediately thereafter in 4 Cap. V. 8: "What is true, what is honorable, what is just, what is chaste, what is lovely, what is good, what is virtue, what is praise, think about it. Which also ye have learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do. "etc. See, there you have the example. Whoever would like to understand what the example is that Paul is talking about here, should read these words. For this is what he is talking about here when he says: "You have us as an example, follow it, that is, what is true" etc. This much is said: Paul's preaching was true; so also his life: he did not go around with a false understanding of the Scriptures, nor did he lead a hypocritical life; he spoke as he had in his heart; he lives and does also as he has in his heart, so that both word and life are in harmony.
The apostle's life and teaching is yes; but the life of the world and what it speaks is no, good words and nothing behind them: the world promises much; but when it comes to the meeting, no one is at home, unless Master Hans teaches and the princes themselves preach. Otherwise, where Junker Hans is not master, it goes like this: good words and nothing more; today someone says something, but in the emergency he turns his back and says: I lack here and there. It seems as if it were a great Christian love among each other, that someone should think it was a divine love: but as soon as one comes too close to one with a word, it is over. etc. So the world leads a being. This is not Paul's image, but the devil's, who misleads people with good words and a hypocritical life, and speaks good words to his neighbor, but in his heart is pure poison. Therefore, young people should learn how the world is clever, and there is nothing more harmful than not knowing this. What is lying and false, the same happens in the world; otherwise a young person would think that everything that happens in the world is true. Therefore we preach the lesson that the world should become true. But the world will remain the world. Therefore, whoever deals with people should know that he is dealing with those who lie and deceive; it is vain color and appearance.
But ye that would be Christians, learn to speak the truth, as St. Paul saith Ephesians 4:25, that a man walk uprightly, not lying and deceiving; that is, first, that thou be true in doctrine, and know how thou oughtest to hold thyself to God, in life and in death, in honor and in dishonor, in fortune and in adversity; that is, a true heart, that I neither despise nor be proud. Second, toward my neighbor; what I speak to him, that I mean it sincerely and faithfully; if not, that I keep silent. After that, what you do with buying and selling etc. so that there is no wrong, or let it stand. But, they say, let the devil do it. If any man deceive thee, let him do so, and he shall come on, and leave thee undeceived; only that thou do unto God and thy neighbor as aforesaid, and afterward let our Lord
God will take care of you. He who deceives you does not deceive you, but God. But whoever deceives God must be truly wise. How does this work? Answer: God's wisdom has no end.
(7) Thus, says St. Paul, we have preached and thus we have lived, and thus you have heard and received from us, that every man's salvation rests on the grace of God; and after that, that man should be godly, both outwardly and inwardly. St. Paul was a good image in teaching and life, but he throws himself down and takes to himself his dear companions. He does not do it like the pope: he is indeed an apostle, but he does not want to have the honor alone that one should look at him. So we should also pretend and say, "Indeed, I do not know how life goes, but I mean that we do no one wrong. Follow further in the text:
For many walk, of whom I have often told you, but now I say also with weeping, the enemies of the cross of Christ etc.
(8) This is what happened to the man in his apostleship, who was much more than we are, even if we were the pope. There are many of them, he said, who walk that God may have mercy; of whom, he said, I have often told you, but now I say with sorrowful heart and weeping eyes. It must have been shameful, and worse and more grievous, than it is now in our time, because he says, "Abide in the image of the doctrine and life of those who are now with you, and of those whom I myself have heard and seen; for I have seen my sorrow in others, and must weep that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, who are yet to be put to shame. From the text we see that it must have been terrible enough; for they were neither in doctrine nor in life united, but vain sects. We probably think that they all would have been like Paul: yes, behind them, works saints and sects etc. Paul was considered less than a chaplain is considered. But it is not unheard of. He speaks of many; for there were not few of them, and many heretics had already broken out:
Each one wanted to be a doctor and have Paul as a disciple; and as soon as Paul turned his back and went out of the city, it fell down, and they had as many preachers as there were houses in the city. Paul had no greater joy than to see a city united in doctrine and life; as he praises those in Philippians, yet admonishes them to beware of the tramps. For before you look around, they have sown more poison than we have sown salvation. A wicked preacher does more harm with one sermon than a good preacher does with ten.
9 "Enemies of the cross of Christ," says Paul. What does he mean by this? The pope has inflated the word very much in his bulls, and calls the Turk an enemy of the cross of Christ, item, an enemy of the Christian name; that is better. But the Turk is not an enemy of the cross of Christ; for he can well suffer the cross, he only strikes with the sword and strangles. But St. Paul speaks of the Jews, who courted and pretended to the people, who preached what they liked to hear. But Paul says that they shrank from the cross of Christ, because they not only would not bear it, but also persecuted it. But Paul's words are not understood, because they are used to it. So he says to the Galatians Cap. 1, 10: "Am I preaching to men or to God? If I preached what was pleasing to men, I would be pleasing to them; but now they persecute me because I do not preach what they like to hear. Should the pope be a Christian teacher? He himself is an enemy of the cross of Christ; for he does not want to hear what hurts him, but he should be preached that fatteneth the belly, and that he may be safe and in honor. So if Paul had denied Christ, saying, Ye Pharisees have right doctrine, and lead a godly life; they also would have commended him. But now he says, "Woe to you Pharisees, you deceive yourselves and the whole world; so they take up the cross of Christ, call him a deceiver, and want to kill him. So if I said, Lord Pope, lend me your foot, I will kiss it, what you write and shred is Christian; I would also be called an obedient one.
But now I say, Thou art a devil and antichrist, and hast deceived the world; thou condemnest the word, and art the blasphemer thereof: this is not to be had.
010 Therefore these are not enemies of the cross of Christ, who are against the pope, as the Turk; but who will not suffer Christ's words, and their thing shall be right, or we shall perish. So when Paul preached that Christians should suffer the cross and tribulation; item, that they should trust in Christ alone and not in the works of the law, and if they did, they would have the Pharisees and rulers of Jerusalem against them, and would be unjust to do so: so when St. Paul preached faith, they preached works; when he preached the cross, they said, bona this (a good day). They did to him the burned heartache. These were the Jews, as in our time are the clergy, and all the sects, these are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Whoever is not in earnest and has the courage to put all he has into it, will not respect the cross, nor the dear crucified Christ, but they alone want the glory of Christ. I also wanted to be in honor, and think: "Oh, if I had Christ, who will come in his glory on the last day, when it comes. But he himself says: "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Now I have the blasphemed damned Christ, that is, I have the poor wretched Christ.
Which end is damnation.
(11) Now if they have long persecuted the dear cross, and have been his enemies, they have the end that they shall be damned; as we see by those who are in Caesar's court: they are enemies of Christ, and hope
but that they will be like the angels in heaven. But their text is: Hellish fire will be their end. These are words of faith, and no one understands them; for it seems before the world that the Jews who persecuted Paul would also come to Paul and Tito. Now the Lutherans are damned and cursed heretics; but they are the dear saints.
Which the belly is their god.
This may be a sweet God to me. Who ever heard such talk that the belly is God? I should not speak thus, if Paul had not spoken thus before; for I could not speak more shamefully. Is it not a pity that the shameful stinking belly should be called a god? This god is also honored by the entire papacy; for the sake of the belly, the world does everything it does; is this not a shameful, miserable god? The world should do what it does and teaches, it does it for the sake of the belly; therefore the belly is called the god of this world; for everything that is done, even in the Word of God, baptism, sacrament and gospel, is done for the sake of the belly. If I do not seek God's glory, then my preaching is done for the sake of the belly; for many preachers allow themselves to be ordered solely so that the belly may be taken care of. But God will one day execute the belly with the food, 1 Cor. 6:13. But one day they will see why they scratch and scrape so. They are only concerned about the belly. If they had all the goods of the world, what good would it do them? They are worried that if they preached and lived rightly, they would die of hunger; because they have to eat, they have to pretend a false doctrine. Oh, if I were to preach about this, how much time I would have to do it! Behold, what a God the world has, in which are so many beautiful pearls, which swine love to eat etc.; from this God protect us, amen.