23RD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

23RD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Text: Philippians 3:17-21

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

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.

Dear friends in Christ Jesus.

There was a time when the cross was an object of universal horror, an instrument of the cruellest execution of criminals; it defiled the place where it stood, as does the stage of the hangman now. Particularly among the Jews he who hung on the cross was for that reason accounted cursed and the site of his execution a desecrated place, a place cursed by God.

However, after Christ died on the cross for the reconciliation of the sinful world, the cross has been sanctified; for Christians it has now become an object not of veneration but holy amazement, an object of their joy and comfort. Christians consider the cross a holy altar upon which the Lamb of God who carried the sins of the world offered himself; a precious symbol of their Christian faith and hope; an emblem of the reconciliation which the God-man and Mediator Jesus Christ established between God and men; and the victory banner of the Redeemer which is now planted upon the reconciled world after his conquest of sin, death, and hell; upon it is written with the blood of the reconciliation: "Under this banner is grace, victory, and salvation."

N ow the cross no longer defiles the place where it is erected but rather dedicate s and sanctifies it. With the sign of the cross the Christian identifies himself in order to remind himself of the salvation bestowed upon him and thus arm himself against all the foes of his body and soul. With the sign of the cross the breast and forehead of those baptized are marked, the elements of the Lord's Supper consecrated, the absolution imparted, and every Christian

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benediction pronounced. The emblem of the cross, sometimes made of wood, sometimes of stone, sometimes of metal, beautifies the Christian's breast, his living room, the altars, and pinnacles of their houses of God for the worship of the Trinity.

Above all, the Christian carries the cross in his heart. He can say that within his inmost heart Christ's name and cross are the only things which shine; this is his joy. The Christian sees in the cross the support upon which the fallen world relies that it might not sink, and which is also given him to raise him from his fall. He, therefore, says to Christ from the depths of his soul with that poet:

Thy cross shall be my staff in life,

Thy holy grave my rest from strife

Lord, in Thy nail-prints let me read

That Thou to save me has decreed. (148,6)

In the cross the Christian again sees the tree of life in the garden of the Church, after man, having eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, brought death and God's displeasure upon himself and shut himself out of paradise. A Christian with his whole heart agrees with the words of the Apostle Paul: "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Gal 6:14.

What? Should there be people in the midst of Christendom who despise the holy cross, who are ashamed of it and still wipe it off their foreheads as a defiling stain? Alas, yes! As Paul once had to complain of Israel which was proud of its Law, and the heathen who were proud of their wisdom: "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness," 1 Cor 1:23, so in Christendom must now those complain who preach the Word of the cross, that is, the Gospel of the crucified Savior of sinners. In the midst of Christendom -- alas, that I must say it -- there are enemies of Christ, enemies of his cross! The Epistle for today reminds us of this; permit me, therefore, to present this to you.

The text. Philippians. 3:17-21.

In this text just read Paul in great earnestness pronounces the sentence of damnation upon certain false prophets whom he calls enemies of the cross of Christ. That the apostle is not to be accused of having a loveless and heartless thirst for vengeance we conclude from the fact that at the same time his tears over them fall upon this same seemingly harsh Epistle directed against false prophets. " I tell you even weeping." he writes. Our text is, therefore, convincing evidence for the fact that in spite of all the earnestness with which a faithful teacher can preach judgment and damnation to false teachers, yet the tenderest love can be in his heart and tears of pity in his eyes.

With such a mind let us now ponder

THE ENEMIES OF CHRIST'S CROSS

1. Who They Are, and

2. What End Is In Store For Them.

Lord Jesus, you were obedient to your Father until death, even the death of the cross in order to atone for our disobedience; we beseech you to preserve us against the enemies of your cross; do not let our souls fall under

their counsel nor let our end be the same as theirs. Grant us grace so that we may daily and hourly embrace your cross with the arms of our faith and thus, oh Crucified, impress your image so deeply upon our hearts that nothing in heaven and on earth can erase it. Let it appear to us in our anguish of death to comfort us, and if the cross should appear in the clouds as your sign when you will return, oh Son of man, whether we may still be alive or arise from our graves, grant that it will not be a witness of our hatred toward you but a symbol of grace under which we with all your elect will gather at your right hand, and, following it as your victory banner, enter with you into your eternal home. Amen. Amen.

I.

" Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ.) Vv. 17.18. These words begin our Epistle. The first question which we must answer is: Who are the enemies of the cross of Christ against whom the apostle warns? In the explanation closest to this point we read that in contrast to the enemies of the cross of Christ the apostle directs the Philippians to his own example. In the preceding verses Paul had stated that as a Pharisee he was blameless according to the Law, yet what things he counted for gain he for Christ's sake counted as loss; for he counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord; yes, for his sake he counted all things for dung "that I may," he continues, "win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith," V.9. Then the apostle calls upon the Philippians to follow him and look to those who also walk in such a way that they also are saved from the enemies of Christ's cross, we see, that by the enemies of Christ's cross the apostle means those who were enemies of the teaching that man is not saved by the Law and its works but through faith in Christ the Crucified.

That this is the correct explanation we clearly see, partly from the reports which Luke recorded in his Book of Acts of apostolic times, partly from other letters of the apostle. In the Acts we are told: Whenever the apostle had founded a congregation in a city through the preaching of the crucified Christ, diabolical Jews followed right behind him, who pictured the apostle as a blasphemer of the Mosaic Law and tried to convince the Christians just converted from Judaism, that no one could be saved who did not keep Moses' Law, that not faith in the Crucified but works make one righteous before God.

From the letters to the Corinthians and Galatians we see that in apostolic times even those teachers prowled about who pretended also to believe in Christ, yes, who called themselves the only true servants of Christ, on the other hand, tried to cast suspicions on the apostles as preachers of a false, fleshly Gospel; who alleged great zeal for the Law, for a pious life, and for good works, who absolutely demanded that the law of circumcision be observed by Christians at the risk of losing their salvation, and thus attempted to tear faith in the Crucified from the hearts of those converted by the apostles. With their semblance of holiness with which they knew how to surround themselves these false brethren also found ready admittance; they caused the entire congregation at Galatia to fall and provoked great disorder among the Corinthians; for at that time nothing was more difficult to endure for many Christians than the disgrace which among Jews and heathen lay upon the teaching, that man is righteous before God and saved without works, only by grace through faith in one who was crucified. Therefore, the apostle writes of these false prophets: "As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be cir-

cumcised only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ Gal 6:12.

Far be it, however, that this generation of the enemies of the cross of Christ should have died out in our day; we are now living in the very days of which it is written: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils," 1 Tim 4:1; and: "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." 2 Pet 3:3. Yes, it is clear that these times have descended upon us; for now not only does one enemy of Christ's cross prowl about here and there, attempting to beguile and deceive the congregations; no, Christ's enemies have gotten control in the midst of Christendom.

For what is the doctrine which now is preached from the pulpits of most so-called Protestant churches? Now without the least hesitancy most preachers teach and their hearers gladly hear, that Christ is not the true God, equally eternal and almighty with the Father, but a son of God as are all good people, only more enlightened, wiser, more pious; Christ's death is, therefore, merely a martyr's death, a death to seal the truth of his doctrine; man is not cleansed by Christ's blood, he is not reconciled by Christ's death, Christ has not atoned for our sins by his suffering and death; therefore, nothing depends upon a person's faith but his virtues, his upright way of thinking, his good works, his blameless life; in this way alone a person makes himself acceptable before God, thus alone he is righteous before God, thus he must make himself worthy of salvation and earn a claim to heaven.

This is what thousands of preachers who call themselves Christian, Protestant, evangelical, yes, even Lutheran, now teach. Though such preachers with their teaching may often hypocritically praise Christ ever so highly, though they may summon people to follow in his steps and ever so sanctimoniously call on them to imitate hi s wonderful example, they are all nothing else but enemies of Christ's cross over whom the apostle weeps in our text: " Whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." V.19. If you examine the life of those who are constantly talking of virtue instead of faith, praise man's dignity instead of grace, and extol man's noble deeds instead of Christ's merit, suffering, and dying, I say, if you examine the life of such preachers, you will discover that they indeed speak of virtue, human dignity, and good works but deny these things by their whole life and betray themselves as belly servers and earthly minded children of this world. They lead the way on the broad road of the majority and their hearers imitate them in the passionate lust of the world.

My friends, these are only the known enemies of Christ's cross; they uphold and strengthen the godless world in its unbelief, in its contempt of God and his Word, and in its earthly mind, but their hatred of Christ is too plain to deceive true Christians. There are in addition less easily known, more subtle enemies of Christ's cross with a holier air. They are those who also teach that Christ is the only begotten Son and that this death was a substitutionary, reconciling death; they also teach that man does not become righteous before God by his works but through faith; yet they deny grace and salvation to everyone who believes their teaching implicitly and wants to take comfort in God's grace and salvation without any merit and worthiness on their part, only in trust in the word of the Gospel which is sealed to them through Baptism and the Holy Supper. Indeed, they constantly preach about repentance, conversion, the rebirth, sanctification, but do not want to take pity on poor sinners and give no comfort to those who can say of themselves only that they are poor, lost sinners. They describe the faith and justification and pardon of man in such a way as if even

the Gospel had been given to man to show him only how he must get grace by his efforts and climb to heaven with an unbearable burden. They call even the Savior a harsh, stern man, a Moses with thunder and lightning, yes, a king difficult to pray to, ruling over his followers with a scepter of iron.

Though such stern teachers and their friends and defenders may seem to have great substance, for awakened consciences they are nevertheless the most dangerous enemies of Christ and his holy, gracious cross. Without saying it, they frighten the sinner away from Christ and keep him away; without coming right to say it, they teach Christians to build their state of grace and salvation upon their own efforts; they chase the sheep of the Good Shepherd from the sweet meadows of the life-giving Gospel and drive them into the desolate wilderness of the Law which kills, and thus are the cause that thousands wander around their entire life seeking grace and certainty without finding it, yes, that thousands who have toiled hard to work out their salvation nevertheless die in despair without comfort.

II.

You see, my friends, they are the gross and subtile enemies of Christ's cross; let us secondly hear the end which is in store for them.

The answer which our text gives to this question is brief; it reads thus: " Whose end is destruction."

What a fearful verdict! My dear hearers, do not imagine, as was said, that this verdict comes from a hard heart or a secret grudge. Oh, no, we hear, as was already mentioned, that as the apostle wrote down this verdict, his heart broke and tears rolled down cheeks wrinkled by concern over these misled souls. However, not only could he not be silent about the truth, but his love to the foes of Christ's cross and the people whom they had already seduced wrung this frightful word from him. For he did not intend to say that an enemy of Christ's cross never could be converted nor be saved, but that if he remains an enemy until his end, then his end would be damnation.

And dare we perhaps be surprised at this verdict ? Of a truth, no! Bear in mind: Because of sin every person is by nature an enemy of the holy God. But what did God do? In spite of our enmity toward him he did not lay aside his love toward us; rather, he used our enmity against him to reveal even more wonderfully the greatness of his love toward us. He himself became a man and by bleeding and dying on the accursed tree he atoned for our sins in order in this way to reconcile us with himself again. For, says the apostle: "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

2 Cor 5:19.20.

What should and can God now do with a person who not only is God's enemy because of his holy Law and its stern demands, but who even behaves as an enemy of his reconciliation, as an enemy of his redeeming love, as an enemy of his saving grace, as an enemy of his mercy which pities all sinners, in brief, as an enemy of the cross on which his God and Savior bled and died for him? Tell me, what can, what should God do with a person who not only tramples on the blood of the reconciliation, not only reviles the Spirit of grace, not only wants no Savior, no Mediator, no Redeemer, but in order to fill his belly on earth, or appear very holy expresses his enmity against the teaching of the cross and grace in Christ, leads others away from Christ, and again tears them from the arms of their Good Shepherd, the one who shows mercy upon them, from arms into which

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they had been placed by Baptism? Who can measure the mountain of guilt which piles up every day to heaven which he places upon his conscience? The “ end " of such an enemy of God can be nothing else but fearful, nothing else but most frightful, in short, nothing else but eternal " damnation."

Therefore, though the enemies of Christ's cross may always be highly esteemed in the world; though people may run to them like water; though they may be praised as men of freedom, light, enlightenment, progress; though they may enrich themselves with the generous gifts of their poor deceived hearers; though every day their life may be a wonderful one, one of joy, that is no reason to envy or mock them; they should be wept over. For alas, when this brief time will be passed when they were still under divine patience, they will have to appear before Christ as enemies of his cross, before the judgment throne of him whose divinity they denied, whose majesty they ridiculed, whose grace they reviled, on whose blood they trampled, whose Gospel they falsified, out of whose arms they tore dearly bought souls and dragged with them into the pool of unbelief and blasphemy. Then Christ will say to them: Where are those Souls which you should have led to me? What have I done to you, you wretch, that you have persecuted me? And behold! hell will suddenly open beneath them and swallow them, and they will be tormented and the smoke of their torment will ascend forever and ever.

Oh be warned, my dear people, who now live in a time when even in this city you hear from all sides the deceitful voice of the enemies of Christ's cross. Do not be misled by their good fortune in this world, as was Asaph; but enter the sanctuary of God, his Word, and there see their end. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castest them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors." Ps 73:18.19. Therefore, embrace the cross of your Savior the more firmly in faith and let nothing tear you free. There lay down your sins, there lay down your righteousness, there lay down all your worries and wishes and learn to say from your heart: My Love is crucified; for he who is on the cross is my love,

my righteousness, my comfort, my life, my salvation, my all. Then though death may come, yes, though the world may be destroyed, the anchor of the cross will not crumble; by it you will be led up over this wretched world with its miseries into heaven where the Crucified sits upon the throne of his eternal glory and all his followers around him. All of them can and should, therefore, say with Paul at the close of our text: " For our conversation." that is, our citizenship, " is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." Vv.20.21. Amen.

2 4TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY Colossians 1:9-14. ()

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

In our beloved Redeemer, my dear hearers.

That there is a natural religion or knowledge of God which man can

out of himself simply cannot be denied, whether we consult the Bible, or reason, or experience. That there is a God, only one God, a good, righteous God, and that man is obligated to serve and honor this God are truths which every person in part actually knows also without Scripture, in part can discover.

" Because that which may be known of God," writes Paul of the heathen in the first chapter of his Letter to the Romans, "is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them." V.19. When God created man, he gave him a soul and a heart into which the image of God had been impressed so deeply that God presented himself to man in the clearest light. By becoming spotted with sin man lost this divine image; however, even in fallen man a little spark of the knowledge that there is a God still remains. This knowledge about God is still implanted in every man and impressed to a certain degree upon his soul, his heart. That is why there is no people on earth, though they may be the most uncivilized and uneducated, which has not had its religion and worship; and that is also why even the most powerful tyrants, who had denied God by word of mouth and had feared no other human being, were after a life full of shameful deeds for the most part tortured by the most fearful torments of conscience, by an inner anguish and restlessness of an unknown, higher Judge. For whence would this secret, gnawing fear come had it not been indelibly written in man's heart: "There is a God!"?

However, the natural knowledge of God does not arise only in a consciousness of God which forces itself upon man with irresistible power, because it was created and remains in all men; a second way by which a person without the Scriptures can arrive at the conviction that there is a God is by a study of the world.

In his Letter to the Romans Paul testifies also to this when he writes in the first chapter: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." V.20. He testifies to this again publicly before the heathen in the market places in Lystra and Athens where he said: In times past G 0 d let all heathen walk in their own ways; however, he did not leave himself without a witness, having done much good to them, giving them rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling their hearts with food and joy, so that they should seek the Lord if they might feel for him and find him. David also expresses the same thought in the words: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. The ir line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. ” Ps 19;l-4.

If a person would study the great edifice of this world, his reason would tell him that it could not possibly have originated by itself; there must have been a great Architect who was in existence before it was founded, an eternal, almighty God who built it and created everything. Moreover, if he would study the amazing laws which are in operation amongst all the millions of different beings and by which they are harmoniously united into one large whole; if he would study only the organism of the human body, the human eye, yes, the most insignificant insect, he would find so many millions of the most miraculous works of art which no human mind is able to fit together; his reason, therefore tells him that there must be an all-wise, higher Being who has called into existence, ordered, and united all with amazing wisdom.

Again, if a person would study how the well-being of all living beings in the world is provided, how food, clothing, joy, protection is provided for each one, and heaven and earth is full of wonderful good things, his reason

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would tell him: There must be a good God who administers the duties of a father in his great, broad, infinite creation. Finally, if a person notices how his conscience sometimes accuses him, sometimes excuses him, how it particularly scolds him and his heart beats faster every time he intends to transgress the Law of holiness, his reason must tell him: There is a God who is holy and righteous and demands righteousness from you. Paul writes plainly enough: "For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law," that is, the Law given by special divine revelation, "do by nature the things contained in the Law, these,having not the Law, are a law unto themselves; which show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another." Rom 2:14.15.

Hence, my dear hearers, as certain as it is that even according to the judgment of reason only fools can say in their hearts: "There is no God;" as certainly as every person has by nature received the consciousness of God in his heart, and as certainly as the study of the works of creation leads to a definite knowledge of God, this natural knowledge, however, is not enough for man's salvation. This requires a greater knowledge which cannot be drawn from the book of nature but only from the books of a direct, supernatural revelation, the Holy Scriptures. Permit me to speak to you during this hour of this knowledge of God.

The text. Colossians 1:9-14.

The Colossians to whom Paul's letter was directed from which today's Epistle is taken, I say, the Colossians were not converted by Paul but by a certain Epaphras. When Paul was in prison at Rome, he received news from this Epaphras that through him a Christian congregation, distinguished in faith and love, had been gathered in Colosse. Therefore, Paul begins in our text with the words: " For this cause we also, since the day we heard it. do not cease to pray for you." V.9. What above all was it which the apostle who so zealously provided for all congregations asked of God? He himself tells us when he adds: " And desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will." and a little later he adds: " And increasing in the knowledge of God." Growing in the knowledge of God and his will was, therefore, the chief thing which Paul did not cease obtaining for the converted Colossians through prayer. Upon the basis of this Epistle permit me to speak to you on:

THE SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND HIS WILL

1. Its Essence, and

2. Its Results.

Lord Jesus Christ, no one knows the Father but you, oh Son of God, and he to whom you want to reveal the Father. We, therefore, beseech you, arise as the true Morning Star in our hearts so that we may recognize the Father in you and in this knowledge love and serve him and be saved. To that end bless also this sermon of your blessed Gospel in all our hearts. Amen.

I.

The Apostle Paul speaks with the Colossians as though they had known absolutely nothing of the Gospel before they became Christians,as though not until now had they come to and could they grow in the knowledge of God. Paul speaks the same way to the Ephesians; he writes: "Remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, at that time ye were without Christ, having no

hope, and without God in the world." Eph 2:11.12. That is true. The natural knowledge of God is, as it were, only the vestibule for heathen, which surrounds the closed gates of the sanctuary in which alone God reveals himself to men to their salvation. The natural knowledge of God is obscured by the thickest fog of uncertainty, doubt, and sprinkled with false notions to such a degree that this knowledge can never give peace to man nor lead him to salvation. Whereas in his original state man, as it were, saw an image of God in himself, so he also now sees in himself as in nature only footsteps of Him. When the heathen, who had no direct revelation, progressed the furthest in their natural knowledge, they came to the point where they perceived that there must be one, spiritual, almighty, all-wise, gracious, and righteous Being who is the First Cause and Ruler of all things, whom man is obligated to serve in perfect holiness and with whom man is united.

Ignoring the fact that only a few keen heathen philosophers arrived at this point, whilst the great mass of heathen were given over to senseless idolatry; ignoring the fact that even a Socrates, the greatest of the worldly-wise of the ancient heathen, in spite of better knowledge commanded shortly before his death that a rooster be sacrificed for him to the god Aesculpius; I say, ignoring all this, what did all the heathen's natural knowledge of God amount to, even when it attained its highest point? To the chief question: Who God is and how God was minded toward man, no heathen had a positive answer. In vain the heathen looked within himself; in vain he looked into the open book of nature; in vain he looked up to the stars of the sky passing over him during the night; nowhere did he find an answer to the question: God, are you also my God? Dare I trust you? How and where shall I find you?

What did it help them to know something of the fact that there is a God, and know something of what God is, since they had no answer to the question who and what their God was? What did it help them to know something of the fact that man must serve God and live righteously, since their conscience told them that they did not serve God and were not as righteous as they should be, and since they knew nothing of God's counsel concerning them? What did it help them to know something of the fact that God was a gracious Being, since they were conscious of their guilt and did not know how God could be reconciled and his holiness satisfied? Since the natural knowledge of God had no information on these points, their explanations fundamentally are merely proof that by nature man does not know God according to his true essence and will. At one time even the wise Athenians knew this well; therefore, in addition to the thousands of altars for their countless gods, they had erected a special altar and inscribed on it the words: "To the unknown God."

Had not God stepped forth from his unapproachable light, he would have remained an unknown God to all men, and all the mental acuteness of philosophers would have been exerted in vain in exploring who God is and what thoughts God has in the depths of his heart. But lo! God did not leave mankind orphans but revealed himself to us in the most glorious way, revealing himself not only by awaking prophets, enlightening them with his Holy Spirit and sending them out to preach his Word and the mysteries of his Being and will, but above all by himself becoming a man, appearing on earth, and dying for all men.

Thus God himself arose like a sun over the dark earth and in Christ's human nature, in which he, as it were, veiled himself, its rays have shot forth in such a way that without becoming blind we can see into the eternal sun of all attributes with open eyes. Yes, with the appearance of the Son of God in the world the curtain before the holy of holies of heaven has been torn in two, and if they do not wilfully close their eyes, all men can look in and feast their eyes on the mercyseat covered by the wings of the cherubim.

In Christ all eternity with all its mysteries, yes, the depths of God's

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very heart is opened to us; for in Christ we see what decrees God has made from eternity for the salvation of mankind, In Christ we can know the mysteries of God'8 grace which had not been known since the foundation of the world. In Christ we see clearly the final purpose of the creation of all things and especially of mankind. No longer dare any person cry out in misery: Oh, if only I would know how God is minded toward me! Oh, if only I knew what God has decreed about me' Now everyone can be told: If you want to learn about God's heart and his will about you, look at Christ in the manger, in the circle of sinners who surround him, in Gethsemane, on the cross; there you can read God's heart as though it were an open book; for if you see him, you see God, you see the Father.

As certainly as you see nothing but friendliness, love, and grace in Christ, so certainly will you also see the very same in the Father. As certainly as Christ calls sinners to his side, does not condemn them but forgives them their sins, so certainly will also God not damn you, so certainly would also God rather have mercy upon you. As certainly as Christ wants to take you into his kingdom, so certainly does the Father desire the very same thing. In short, as Christ's heart is minded toward you, so is also the Father's heart; Christ's mercy is the reflection of God's mercy; in Christ's tears over the misery of sinners is mirrored the sympathy of the Father; in Christ's blood flowing for the reconciliation of the world the Father himself calls to you: I am reconciled!

I am reconciled!

You see, my friends, that is why God the Father himself called down from heaven over Christ: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." Mt 17:5. The heavenly Father wanted to say: You are to accept the word of my Son Jesus Christ as my word, his promises as my promises, his forgiveness as my forgiveness; if he accepts you, then you are accepted also by me; if you have found him, you have also found me; if he calls you blessed, then I have also made you blessed.

This, yes, this knowledge of God and his will it is which the apostle means when he declares in our text, that he has not ceased praying that the Colossians might be filled with all spiritual wisdom and understanding; it, therefore, is in one word the knowledge of God in Christ.

Now that we have learned to know its essence, let us secondly ponder its glorious results.

II.

There are not a few who are always offended at the preaching of the doctrine that in Christ God is reconciled with all men, and that, therefore, he who seizes Christ in faith finds in Christ a gracious God and Father. They think that this teaching makes people secure, hinders zeal in good works, and in the midst of their sins causes people to hope for heaven. It is, of course, true that when God's grace in Christ is preached, many actually turn this into comfort for the flesh. Those who do this are the ones who hear the teaching of grace only with their ears but do not accept it with their hearts. For if a person accepts this teaching from his heart, if a person truly recognizes that in Christ God has revealed himself, then this knowledge also proves to be a heavenly light in him which not only enlightens him but also warms him, fills his entire heart, changes it, and generates new tendencies in it. How glorious the results are which the living knowledge of God in Christ produces in every person in whom Christ has found room, we see from our text.

There the apostle says that for the growth of the Colossians in the

knowledge of God he prays first: " That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work." This is the first result of the knowledge of God in Christ. For the moment it becomes clear to a person that God has loved him from eternity, yes, that he loved him so dearly, that he even became a man for him and died on the cross, he can do nothing else; he must love this good God in return; he sinks into the dust and in shame cries every day: Lord, is it possible that you can love a sinner such as I, love him unto death, and want to save him? A person who has come to the knowledge of God's love should not let this amazement suffice. He also has a holy fear; he does not want to offend his gracious God and Father by any sin, not even the smallest deliberate sin; he has a holy impulse to live to please God in everything and so to love his neighbor and do good to him as God loved him and did good to him.

Th e apostle continues in our text: And that ye be " strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power. unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness." V.11. Here Paul gives us the second result of the living knowledge of God in Christ; it is the power and patience to persevere joyfully under the cross. As long as a person has not yet learned to know God as his Father in Christ, so long it is completely impossible for his to bear patiently the many and great and particularly the sufferings and tribulations of long duration. At best such a person bears his troubles in dumb despair, with secret discontent; most, however, burst forth in open complaints against God and surrender completely to thoughts of despair of God's goodness, faithfulness, and truthfulness.

But how entirely different it is with those who have truly known that God is their dear Father, and they are his dear children! In this knowledge they have a firm staff which will not let them sink. They say with Job: "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" Jb 2:10. "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." Job 13:15. They say with Micah: "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be light unto me." Micah 7:8. They have the invincible faith that God means well with them, that their tribulations are not punishments but fatherly chastisements, not the way to destruction but to salvation, to heaven, to blessedness, to glory. Therefore, with Paul they are patient in tribulation, yes, joyful in hope.

What strength to endure all suffering the knowledge of God in Christ gives we see in the martyrs. For what was it which made them so strong that even young boys and girls met the greatest torment, the sword, ravening animals, the stake, the red-hot grill as though they were hurrying to a wedding feast? It was nothing else but the living knowledge that they were children of God. My dear hearers, if you would know what it means to see your heavenly Father in Christ you would also sing at all times with Paul Gerhardt:

Though earth be rent asunder

Thou'rt mine eternally;

Not fire nor sword nor thunder

Shall sever me from Thee;

Not hunger, thirst, nor danger,

Not pain nor poverty

Nor mighty princes' anger

Shall ever hinder me. (528,13)

We hurry to conclude. The apostle writes thus in our text: " Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness.

480 24th Sunday after Trinity

and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Vv.12. 13. Here we hear the third and last result of a living knowledge of God in Christ; it is constant, ardent thanks.

Thanks and praise to God will not only be the chief occupation of all the saints in heaven, but even here it should be the dearest pursuit of all men. Man should differentiate himself from the animals by receiving the gifts of God with thanks to the Giver, whilst the animal knows nothing of the Giver. Yet as long as a person does not truly know God as his Father, his heart is too cold to thank and praise him; for he constantly feels that he still lacks many things.

However, the moment the living knowledge of God in Christ enters the man's heart, he sees himself so overwhelmed with inexpressible benefits, so rich, so honored, so fortunate, so blessed that in the midst of poverty, disgrace, pain, sickness, yes, in the midst of death he must praise God. His heart kindled in thanks, sometimes for the inheritance of the saints in light granted by grace to him, a sinner; sometimes, for the wonderful deliverance from the authority of darkness to which he had surrendered himself; sometimes, for his translation into Christ's kingdom of grace; sometimes, for his precious redemption through Christ's blood; sometimes, for the daily, constantly new forgiveness of sins, and the like.

So examine yourselves, my dear hearers, whether you have truly known God in Christ. If your knowledge is still dead and inoperative; if it has not changed your heart so that it is fruitful in love, in patience under the cross, and in thanks for the grace given you, you are still like the Athenians who had built an altar to the unknown God. Alas, then you are still living without God and without hope in this world. If you will then learn to perceive that you are still lost sinners, you will also in Christ learn to know God as your reconciled Father.

But you who already have this knowledge remember: The quickest way to lose your knowledge and let it be extinguished and die in you is to think that you have completely learned this. Flee from this thought as though from hell ! Rather beseech God to reveal himself more and more clearly to you and thus grow from clarity to clarity; then you will also some day forever see him face to face. Amen.