20TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY-1

20TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY-1

Text: Ephesians 5: 1 5-21

Source from Back to Luther with German archive reference. Back to Walther's Epistle Sermons.

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Dear friends in Christ Jesus.

According to God's Word our span of life is both vain and very important. It is vain, for it is of short duration; even its short duration is uncertain and all the goods things and glories of time are as perishable as the very ones who arise and disappear with them. The moment we begin to live we also begin to die; as much as our life increases just so much does it decrease; whether we sit or lie, sleep or wake, walk or stand, we are constantly on the way to our grave; in everything we do we merely are hurrying to our end. As Abraham in the land of promise had no estate but only a family burying-place, so man,and though he may have been the owner of entire countries, finally has nothing but a tiny place to bury his decaying body. Job, therefore, says: "Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not." Job 14:1.2.

So, oh man, what art thou doing who seekest to become rich in worldly goods? who toilest to snatch in your lifetime that which is just a shadow,.and finally in death vanisheth away completely? What doth is profit that rich man now that here he could clothe himself in purple and costly linen and live sumptuously every day? Alas, his riches became a burden with which he could not walk upon the narrow way to heaven and which at last caused his soul to sink into ruin and damnation.

And what is all the honor in this world? How fickle it is! He who today is exalted by men to the heaven? is often on the morrow held in deepest contempt; and though one is honored by men until the day of his death, what does it profit him if he must be ashamed in his own conscience ! How are the Pharisees and scribes profited now who did not want to confess their hypocrisy in order to keep their honor among men? what profit do they now derive from the honor they retained among men? Eternal disgrace and shame before God and all the angels and elect in heaven now weighs heavily upon them. How many they are who enjoyed the veneration of many thousands and did everything to make a name for themselves for posterity. And where are they now? Some lie buried in a well-deserved eternal oblivion, or their name is mentioned only with revulsion. What dost thou do, oh man, who in thy speaking and striving dost not seek God's honor but only thine own? thou wouldst gladly condemn thyself but wouldst gladly be thought pious by men? thou who wouldst consider thyself fortunate if thou wouldst pass for a wise man among your fellowmen and enjoy their honor and respect? Thou pursuest something which outwardly seemeth to be honor but of which thou art inwardly ashamed. Hence, what is this worldly wealth? A dream, a froth. Truly has that pious poet written:

"Frail and fleeting are our powers,

Short our days, our foresight dim." (461,3)

And my friends, as vain as our earthly life is in relation to all its passing wealth and glories, so important is it again in another way. When God decreed to create us, he also decreed to save us. Through sin we have indeed lost all this blessedness, we fell under God's wrath, but our patient God did not immediately inflict eternal punishment upon us, as we had well deserved; it pleased his infinite goodness and patience to give us poor sinners a time of grace during which we are to return and be accepted by him and find salvation. And this time of grace which has been left for us is the period of our life in this world. God gave us his dear Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and has

commanded that we be told in his precious Gospel; All people, you have indeed fallen from me, and I could immediately condemn you eternally, but I will not do that; as long as I permit you to remain here upon this world, so long the gates to my grace will remain open; he who hears and accepts my Gospel during his lifetime, turns to my dear Son, and in faith perseveres in him until death, shall again be my child, all of whose sins I will forgive, and he shall inherit the kingdom which was prepared for him from the foundation of the world.

There you see, my friends the reasons why our perishable lifetime is so infinitely important for us all. It is important not only because with every step which we take in time we draw closer and closer to eternity, but above all because our attitude during this short life decides our lot in the long eternity. Though our days may be ever so few, everything depends upon these few days; though our life may be ever so fleeting, so wretched, or so miserable, we nevertheless can either forever win in them eternal life or lose it forever. Our life is a way which leads to eternity; if our way is Christ, he leads us into eternal life; if our way is the world and our own flesh and blood, that leads us into eternal death.

How foolishly, therefore, they act who despise their precious life and waste and squander it on vanities! He who has lost his time has lost his period of grace, and nothing, nothing is there in eternity with which he can buy it back again. What's done is done! If our time has slipped away without Christ, then the seedtime has slipped away and the eternal harvest brings no sheaf of eternal joy but only the thorns and thistles of eternal sorrow. Oh you who still live in this mortal life, you still possess precious gold with which you can purchase your eternal wealth; buy, buy during this lifetime so that you will not have eternal regrets. " Redeem the time, because the days are evil. "

My dear hearers, this last call is the call of the apostle in our to day's Epistle; we wish to occupy ourselves with its important content in this present hour of devotion. Let us beseech God with a believing Lord's Prayer that he let this call penetrate our hearts. First of all, we sing the third verse of, "Now richly to my waiting heart," of hymn 343, "How lovely shines the Morning Star!"

The text. Ephesians 5:15-21.

The word of the apostle in our text: " Redeem the time !" is, my hearers, a word often purposely misunderstood and misused by false Christians. Sad to say, many think that there are times when one could not strictly follow God’s Word and succeed; when in such cases one Must yield something of his Christianity, as they say, and deal wisely according to the times and circumstances which no one can change. But this is not acting wisely in Christ but according to the world. According to the context the apostle intends to tell us the very opposite, namely this: Christians should be so wise and understanding, that in spite of all the hindrances of time and circumstances, they remain with God's Word and Christ; in everything which happens to them, they should learn so to act that they do not lose their treasure, but that everything should really serve to promote their eternal salvation. Therefore, hear now the word of the apostle:

"REDEEM THE TIME!"

This word contains a threefold admonition:

1. The Time Is Short And Uncertain; Therefore. Hurry That You Do Not Waste It:

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2. The Times Are Evil And Dangerous; Therefore. See That You Walk Circumspectly, and

3. The Times Are Precious And Must Be Accounted For: Therefore. See To It That You Make The Most Of It.

Eternal and living God, we have all sinned and by our sine have become unworthy of your grace and forfeited eternal life. But in your infinite mercy you have given us your dear Son and through his reconciliation and redemption our whole lifetime is a period of grace during which we can again find you and become your dear children. You have indeed sworn in your anger that your disobedient people should not come into your rest, but you have again appointed a day and said: "Today, if you will hear my voice, harden not your hearts." Oh most faithful God, you have permitted us also to live to see this precious day, this day of salvation; therefore, help us so that we do not neglect the promise of entering into your rest and be left behind. Therefore, teach us to redeem the time, that we may pass through time into eternity, that we may hear and accept your holy Word, and persevere in faith in your dear Son, Jesus Christ, until our blessed end through the same our Lord and Savior. Amen.

I.

My dear friends, as long as it is still called today, so long no person should doubt that he can find grace. Through Christ's life our entire life became a time of grace. If God has not yet taken a person away in his sins, if he has not yet called them from time into eternity, that is clear proof that God has not yet completely rejected him. Even to the greatest sinner, if he still lives, God says: "Turn again, look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Is 45:22. As long as a person still belongs to the world, so long the verse applies to him: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Jn 3:16. God's mercy is new every morning. Every time the sun rises upon all men, so often the rays of a day of grace again shine upon all.

Though the time of grace is so full of grace, it is nevertheless short and uncertain. Moses says: "The days of our years are threescore and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." Ps 90:10. God often sends the messenger of death even to children, to young men and women, hales them suddenly and unexpectedly for the eternal accounting.

"The world that smiles when morn was breaking May change for me ere close of day;

For while on earth my home I'm making,

Death's threat is never far away." (598,2)

So, because of the shortness and uncertainty of our life the apostle cries out in our text: Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Vv.16.17.

Sad to say, that men do not consider the shortness and uncertainty of their time of grace and, therefore, continually postpone their concern for their salvation from one day to the next, that is part of the natural corruption of all men. There are few who never want to be converted but every day most think: To morrow, or next year, or after this or that event has passed. The first reason why so many do this is without a doubt the delusion that this step is not very practical now; they must wait for a more opportune time.

Most children and young people deceive themselves; they suppose that

it is too difficult to tear themselves free from the world in the happy time of youth; they think that when they enter upon the more earnest years of adulthood, then they would find a more opportune time; but when they enter upon these years they see that these hindrances have not lessened but increased. Thus many deceive themselves in the time of poverty and want; they think: Now they actually have no time to seek heaven, first they must try to get out of their troubles; after they have acquired rest, calm, and all the necessities of this life, then they will begin to take thought of the salvation of their soul; but se e! the trouble has scarcely eased when they find again in the good days given them a new difficulty to their conversion; one day, one week, one month, one year after the other goes by and they still are waiting for the opportune time to be converted, but it always seems to them never to have come.

Therefore, most wait for their last sickness; then, they suppose, earthly things and love of sin will leave their heart of itself, and there will be nothing hindering Christ from entering into their heart and finally taking them into his heavenly kingdom. So it is that youth always considers adulthood, the poor the time of wealth, the wretched the time of joy, the healthy the time of sickness, the sick the time of health, yes, almost any other time but the present one as the opportune time for becoming a disciple of Christ. Is not this a terrible deceit of Satan and our own corrupt heart? Can there be a more inopportune time for conversion than old age and sickness? -- And yet, most wait for those times !

Ah, you who feel struck by these words, you who know that you are not in the right relationship with God, you must become an entirely different person before you can appear before God's throne; but you who always think that the opportune time has not yet come: Recognize the terrible deceit of your heart. The opportune time for which you wait will not come; it will never come; for our flesh and blood there is absolutely no opportune time for conversion. Though it may now appear to be difficult for you to tear yourselves free from all bonds, do not believe that a time will come when it will be easier for you; on the contrary, the longer you wait the deeper will sin's roots grow, the more tightly earthly things will embrace you, and the more your heart hardens itself. Ah, believe me, that waiting for a more opportune time is a snare which has already dragged millions into eternal ruin.

Therefore, if you hold your soul's salvation dear, then listen to the words of the apostle in our text: " Redeem the time !" The apostle cries out to you: Oh, if you perceive God's voice in your heart, if God's Word shows its power in you, if you perceive that matters are not right with you, if your conscience is awakened so that you feel your sins and with a restless heart recognize that you do not have a gracious God in heaven; and if now through the working of the Holy Spirit a secret sighing and yearning arises within you for grace, for mercy, for help for your soul, for redemption from sin and for eternal salvation, ah, then redeem, redeem these times; this means: "Today, today, if you hear God's voice, harden not your heart;" do not wait then for a more opportune time; the opportune time has already come; seize this time, without delay cast yourself with your misery down before God, confess to him your sins, and seize that grace in Christ which is offered you in the Gospel and the matter will be settled. But now you must cherish the little spark of faith which is kindled in your heart, continue to use the Word and exercise yourself in prayer; in this way your faith which now is weals will soon become stronger and stronger and nothing will be able to tear you again from the hands of him who has mercy upon you.

Yes, yes, my friends, that is what it means to redeem the times; this is what it means to seize the opportune time: If from God's Word one can recognize his wicked state, then immediately to humble himself and seek grace and

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accept grace; when God knocks immediately to open to him; when God calls in one's heart immediately to hear and follow. Oh, it is evidence of great grace when one is struck through God's Word, recognizes his misery with a restless heart, and reaches out for grace! These are hours of the gracious visitation of the Lord who wants to turn our soul about and rescue it from all its corruption. All who hear and use God's Word experience such hours; but unhappy are they all who despise such gracious visitations, continually resist God's Spirit, and constantly wait for a more opportune time. Ah, that is indeed the opportune time and you must then seize this one.

If you let God pass by, if you do not open your heart to him when he comes, if you do not listen when he calls, then you can easily let God's grace slip by forever; then if God does not call us, we can not by our own powers come to him; if God does not open our eyes, we cannot see our danger by ourselves; if God does not turn us about, we cannot turn ourselves about with our own power. Therefore, if God comes to your heart, do not lock it; he might not return again. He who permits himself to be awakened often and shown his wretchedness and constantly resists it, what belongs to his peace will finally be hidden from his eyes.

The example of Felix serves as a warning. When Paul preached to Felix of righteousness, and of chastity, and of the judgment to come, he became frightened; God's Word pierced his heart; he recognized that he was a child of death; ah, if Felix had then only hurled himself down before God as a poor lost sinner, as did that Jailer at Philippi, and asked: "What must I do?" he also would have heard the word of comfort: "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved;" and he would have been helped for time and for eternity. But he resisted the Holy Ghost and said to Paul with an agitated conscience: "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." Acts 24:25. Where is that unhappy Felix now? Did a more convenient time come? No! And thus his soul was lost; for he had let God pass by when he through his Word and Spirit came to him. So it also happened to Jerusalem which did not recognize the time of its visitation.

Therefore, seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near; open to him when he knocks; hear him when he calls, so that you need not say as did that bride in the Song of Solomon: "I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone; I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." 5:6. I, therefore, repeat: " Redeem the time:" for he who seeks the Lord during this time, by him will he let himself be found, and who calls upon him during this time, him will he hear.

II.

And yet, my dear hearers, when the apostle cries to us in our today's Epistle: " Redeem the time." he intends not only to admonish us not to waste this short, uncertain time of grace; he in the second place, also adds: " She then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Vv.15.16.

With these words the apostle warns all Christians never to figure on good, cheerful, comfortable days in this life either for the flesh or for the Christian life but always to expect evil, dangerous, troubled days. Where Christ is, there is also the cross. The moment, therefore, a person has turned to Christ, he dare not think that as a child of God's grace all will now go well for him; no, he must the rather expect that the cross will be his inseparable companion until his death. For Christ says: "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Lk 14:27. And so it was that

when a scribe said to Christ: "Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest," he answered: "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Lk 9:58.59.

The moment a person has known time as a time of grace, he must also know its hardship under the banner of Jesus Christ. The moment a person has joined the army of Jesus Christ he has broken peace with the world and Satan, and they now arm themselves to overtake this soul which has escaped them and to overpower it. The moment a person through Christ's grace has conquered his wicked heart, he must begin the struggle with the wicked times. From God's standpoint the times are always times of grace, but from man's viewpoint they are evil. " The days are evil !" is the way the apostle cries not only to the Ephesians for their day, but these words are written with imperishable letters in Holy Writ for all times. As long as there are Christians in the world, so long will they also have to cry out constantly with Scripture: " The days are evil;" yes, at the very time when the children of the world rejoice over good days, Christians universally must complain the hardest that they are so evil.

But why do Christians consider the times so evil? Because if they during these times have found grace they must always struggle with three powerful foes until their death, who seek day and night to rob them of their treasure. They still have their wicked heart within them which always wants to go the way of error; they still have the world next to them which sometimes through the enticements of wealth, honor, and lust, sometimes through threats, mockery, and persecution tries to fell them; and they still have Satan with his invisible helpers around them who sometimes assails them through evil thoughts, seeks to weary their soul through all manner of misfortune, and everywhere awakens false teachers, sects, and offences through which he seeks to cause them to lose the truth and piety, their soul and salvation.

That is why the apostle says in our text: " Redeem the time, because the days are evil." Above all things Christians should not be offended at the evil times; in spite of the greatest offences, which they must see in this world, they must not go astray as far as the truth of the divine Word is concerned; in spite of all the hindrances to their faith and Christian life, they must not become discouraged, but recognize that for wise purposes God does not immediately take them into heaven but first wants to te s t their faith during evil days, try their love to the truth, test their steadfastness, strengthen their hope, awaken their zeal, and through the fire of tribulation and temptation ever more purify and cleanse them like a piece of impure gold from all the dross of error, unbelief, and sin. The Christian then redeems the time when he clings the more firmly to the truth the more there are who fall away from it; when he confesses Christ the more joyfully the more there are who deny him; when he the more practises love the more there are who grow cold in love; when he the more denies the world and its vanity the more there are who surrender completely to it; when he burns and glows the more in his zeal for God's honor and the salvation of his neighbor the more all Christendom becomes a lukewarm Laodicea.

However, the apostle says in our text not only: "Redeem the time!" but he also gives Christians an important rule which especially they should keep in view during evil days when he says: " See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise." The moment a person becomes a Christian his heart is filled with hatred toward all ungodly ways and with zeal for God's honor and the salvation of his neighbors; if a Christian is inexperienced he supposes that he must let this hatred and this zeal, run its full course in all places without reserve or consideration. Indeed, the Christian should not let fear, or men, nor the wish to please men guide him, when he struggles for God's cause; however,

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only he redeems the time in a Christian way who permits himself to be guided in all things by Christian prudence and wisdom. If you wish to please God and sow a blessing, then be zealous against all ungodly ways; but with prudence and wisdom: It is not enough that you try to suppress the weeds; you must also be concerned that you do not tear out the wheat with the weeds nor destroy God's work with human work. Confess the truth but with prudence so that by the way you confess it you do not hinder the course and acceptance of the truth more than promote it. Reprimand your brother; but with wisdom, so that you do not destroy his soul trying to deliver it. Use every means by which you hope to make an improvement; but be prudent, so that you do not become an offence to the weak. Before you offend a weak person, rather give up the most innocent and harmless thing; remember that St. Paul would rather not eat meat throughout his entire life than in so doing offend a weak brother. One must often endure and bear a smaller evil in order to guard against a greater one. "A word fitly spoken," says Solomon, "is like apples of gold in pictures of silver," Prov 25:11; but remember Solomon says: A word spoken at the right time. In evil days it often is good to keep silence as Amos says: "Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time." Amos 5:13.

III.

The apostle admonishes us in our Epistle: " Redeem the time !" not only because it is so short and uncertain, not only because it is so evil and dangerous, but also in the third place, because, it is so precious and one must give account of it. for he adds: " And be not drunk with wine, töterein is excess: but be filled with the Spirit: sneaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart unto the Lord: giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Vv.18-20

There, my dear hearers, you see how Christians are to live out the time given them by God; not with sinful and vain things but with that which can serve to the praise and glory of their God. Christians should know the great worth of their time of life; therefore, they should not take part in the time-consuming amusements of the world; they should hold their time too precious to be wasted in jesting and tomfoolery. Christians should not sit where the mockers sit, where one kills his convictions with spirituous drinks or loosens bands of chastity and piety from his tongue. Yes, you who pass your precious time, hours and days at a time, in sitting where they gather who offer the flesh its idolatrous worship, how will you answer God for this waste of time? Once when a certain heathen emperor could not at the close of day recollect having done a single good deed, he usually exclaimed: "I have lost another day!" how much more should Christians consider their time as precious, costly goods, a precious pound with which they should seek gain and of whose use they must some day give account! That day, that hour, Christians should recognize as a time in which they must sow, so that they may find this day, this hour, again in eternity with a rich harvest.

Oh, would that our merciful God would let this truth become truly alive in our hearts. For tell me, where are the Christians among us who according to God's will buy up their precious time as they should? What fruit can we expect in eternity from the many hours of our life? We go visiting and of what do we speak? Does it concern the one thing which is needful, or is it not rather mostly the things of this world, or quarreling and fighting? Let me be frank! There was a time when the rights and duties of the spiritual priesthood was almost unknown amongst us; now they are upon the lips of all of us; but must we

not admit that the rights which are praised by us all are now used less than before? Whence does this almost universal silence about what the Lord has done for our souls come from? Whence does this time-killing talk about bad times, small profit, and the like come from? Why do we not speak with one another, as we read in our text: " In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs "? The apostle gives us the answer when he says: " Be filled with the Spirit !" The life of the Spirit is extinguished in so many and at least mightily suppressed in others; out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

My friends, there was a time when, sad to say, many placed their entire Christian life in church-going, in praying and reading, and particularly, in the outward exercises of piety; but now many seem in danger of even abolishing the right use with the wrong. Ah, my dear brethren, if you have little time, then do not let your concern for the salvation of your soul be the first thing to go by the board! You use so many hours for sleeping, for eating and drinking, for friendly visits; if you only wanted to, could you not find time for prayer and praising God and for studying his saving Word? How much time the children of the world spend upon the service of their idols, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, and somehow they manage; will not you children of the Most High use a little time for the service of your gracious God and Father? Even the first Christians lived in most distressing times and yet we read that they were with one consent with one another with prayers and intercessions. Therefore, " redeem the time " and purchase its full value! Do good and do not become weary! Then you will some day reap without ceasing. May Jesus Christ help us all do that, give us the true faith, and through that faith the forgiveness of all our sins, bestow upon us his Holy Spirit and through that Spirit work in us a new life; finally, may he grant us a blessed of death and take us into the kingdom of his glory. Amen.