2ND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Text: Romans 15: 4-13
Source from Back to Luther with German archive reference. Back to Walther's Epistle Sermons.
Lord God, formerly you spoke to the fathers through the prophets; you caused your Word to be recorded for all ages to come. Ue thank you that despite the raging and storming of your foes you have mightily preserved that Word until this hour and given it graciously to us. Ah, grant that in this age of apostasy we may not fall away but experience its saving power in our hearts; keep us in the faith until we joyfully depart in hope to see you face to face in eternal
joy and blessed light. Yes, do that unto us all for the sake of Jesus Christ,
your beloved Son, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Quote the text here: Romans 15, 4-13.
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus.
In our day, in this time of fearful apostasy the contempt of the whole Scripture is general even among so-called baptized Christians; the contempt, however, of especially the Old Testament is even more general. A great host of so-called Christians, who do not wish to be counted as unbelievers, think and speak most contemptuously of the Old Testament. They say, that every Christian must accept the New Testament as God's Word; the Old, on the other hand, is the religious book of only the Jews and does not concern Christians; yes, we find many things in the Old Testament which Christ presented more clearly in the New.
This, however, is a grievous error. Both the Old and New Testaments are God's written, eternal, infallible Word; both are therefore of the same perfect purity, worth, and authority. Yes, whenever the New Testament speaks of God's written Word, it does not mean only the New Testament which had not yet been gathered but even more the Old. When Jesus says in Jn 5,39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me"; when he says in the tenth chapter, "The scripture cannot be broken"; when Paul writes to Timothy, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness," 2 Tim 3,15.16; when Peter writes, "We have also a more sure word of word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts," 2 Pet 1,19 — in short, in all such and similar passages they are not speaking only of the New Testament but even more of the Old. All the divine
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properties which these words ascribe to the Old Testament writings belong just as much to the New, because the apostles and evangelists were also holy men of God who spoke and wrote being "moved by the Holy Ghost" just as well as Moses and the prophets. St. Paul writes, "Which things we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Cor 2,13.
Far be it that one can believe in the New Testament but reject and despise the Old. He is thereby rejecting or despising the New Testament. That is why Christ says in Jn 6,46.47, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"
The Old Testament Scriptures were not given only to the Jews at the time of the old covenant, but also to us Christians of the new. Our today's epistle gives a clear and glorious testimony of this when it begins, " For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patien ce and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." V. 4.
Le t us stop at these important words of our text, which belong to the sedes doctrinae of the doctrine of the proper use of Holy Writ. On the basis of these words may I present to you:
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WRITINGS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT FOR CHRISTIANS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TIMES
According to our text there are two reasons why they are important:
1. Because Everything Which was Written Aforetime was Written for Our Learning; and
2. Because Through Patience and the Comfort of These Writings We Have A Firm Foundation for Our Hope.
I.
Our text begins with the words, " Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning." These words give us the first reason why the Old Testament writings are so important for Christians of the New Testament era. They were written for " our learning " also.
It is not difficult to see why this is true. It can be no other way since the writings of the Old Testament were not inspired by the will of man but by the Holy Ghost himself. It therefore is God ’ s Word. Since God is the All-knowing and All-wise, not only an entire book which he inspired a certain chosen man to write, but every sentence, yes, every word is a rich, inexhaustible source of doctrine.
Look at the world which God created. What wisdom we see when we examine not only the creation in its entirety, but also Aen we examine a single kernel of grain or a blade of grass! What human skill, be it every so ingenious, can contrive a product which compares with God's wisdom? How quickly and completely we see through and imitate anything made by man!
On the other hand, there is always something new to learn if one searches in God's book of nature for 1,000 years. Man has searched in this book for almost 6,000 years and yet no person has sounded the depths of wisdom revealed in it; he finds new evidences of God's wisdom daily; man will continue to find more new evidences until the end of time.
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What depths of riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God will one then find in a book in which God speaks and reveals what he thinks and wills in understandable human language and not merely through signs as in nature! Luther is correct in writing in the preface to the Old Testament, "I diligently pray and warn every pious Christian not to be offended at the simple language and stories which he often meets with (in the Old Testament); let him not doubt in the least that these are the words, works, judgments, and stories of divine majesty and wisdom, even though they appear to be so simple. M Oh my friends, if we think of this in the right way, we will learn that in the writings of the Old Testament we have a light in comparison to which all other books of profoundest human wisdom are darkness; we have a treasure in comparison to which the entire world with all its treasures is worthless trash.
That the Old Testament was also written for us Christians of the New Testament we see from the fact that it contains the same doctrine as the New Testament. Not only does Christ clearly and solemnly declare in his sermon on the mount, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfill," Mt 5,17; but the apostles testify the same thing. So, for example, spoke Paul, standing bound with chains before King Agrippa, "I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come." Acts 26,22. After the first apostolic council at Jerusalem, Peter says, "We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they," that is, our Jewish forefathers. Acts 15, 11. The Old and New Testaments therefore do not contain different teachings of God and of man and of the way to salvation, in brief, no different religions.
The teachings of both testaments merely have a different outward form. While the New Testament teaches faith in the Christ who has come and fulfilled everything, the Old Testament teaches the one and the same faith in Christ, but faith in the Christ who was still to come and fulfil everything. Both testaments show one and the same thing; the Old Testament does it by promises, prophecies, and prototypes, the New in realities. As the New Testament was given us Christians for our learning, so was also the Old.
This will become even clearer if we ponder a third reason: All the teachings of the New Testament are based on the Old Testament. Without the Old Testament we would know nothing of the origin and purpose of the world and ourselves. It reveals to us how God called the world into existence out of nothing and preserves and rules it; how man was created holy in the image of God but was misled by the devil into sin, death, and damnation; how a Redeemer who would crush the head of the serpent was immediately promised him. What foundation would the New Testament have without this Old Testament revelation?
And since the whole New Testament is nothing else than the preaching that the promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled, what would the New Testament be without the Old? If we wanted to know whether it is true, that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Savior of the world, how could we prove without the Old Testament that Jesus actually is the person who had been promised in the Old Testament? that he really is the person whom the Old Testament had predicted he w ould be, actually a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David? that he actually appeared at the designated time and place? that he actually did the works, taught the doctrine, and suffered the pains predicted of him? that he really was the Seed of the woman, the virgin's Son, and that Lord who is our Righteousness? Without the Old Testament the New would be a building without foundation, a tree without roots, a doctrine without proof.
That is why we read that Christ proved everything which pertained to his person, his work and his doctrine from Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets and always said, "It is written," or, "Have ye not read?" The apostles
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and evangelists also based what they reported and taught on the Old Testament.
They wrote and said, "That it might be fulfilled which was written," or, "As the Holy Ghost says," and the like. For that reason the Bereans were praised as being the most noble because they gladly received the preaching of Paul and Silas but at the same time "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17,11.
Who cart now doubt that the Old Testament was given also to us Christians of the New Testament times " for our learning "?
But, many say, the Old Testament contains many stories of most frightful sins, narrations of wars and battles, most detailed descriptions of ceremonies, vessels, clothing, and buildings, and often very obscure passages.
Do you mean to say that even this is written for our learning?
I answer: Yes indeed, my dear hearers. To be sure, the Old Testament related frightful sins, but never in an indifferent or joking way, as in human books, but it shows with great earnestness how God was angered by them; how he visited these horrible sins most terribly upon children’s children; how these sins were forgiven only to those who truly, honestly, and sincerely repented of them and brought forth the fruits of repentance. Even these stories of such terrible sins are for our learning, yes, for our admonition, warning, and reprimand; we should learn from them, how great the corruption of fallen man is; how God hates sin; how necessary it is for us to watch, pray, and battle against them. Paul quoted a whole list of grievous sins from the Old Testament and the divine judgment which followed them; he then adds, "They are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Cor 10,11b.
The narration of destructive wars and bloody battles are proofs of human wickedness and divine judgments of wrath.
The detailed description of all kinds of ceremonies, clothing, and buildings are in part types of New Testament things; from them we can also learn the blessings we enjoy that we in the New Testament times are freed from all these burdensome laws by our Christian liberty.
The obscure passages of the Old Testament should move us to compare the Old Testament continually with the New; what lies concealed in the Old Testament is revealed in the New.
So you see, there can be no doubts everything, everything which is written in the Old Testament was written " for the learning " of also Christians.
II.
In our text the apostle says not only, " Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning," but he also adds, " That we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Permit me in the second place to show you that the Old Testament is so important for us Christians of the New Testament times because through patience and the comfort of these Scriptures we have hope.
As the New Testament contains both, Law and Gospel, so does also the Old. Of course, it is true that the sweet Gospel of God's grace in Christ predominates in the New Testament, while the Law predominates in the Old. Yet Christ is the heart and center of the entire Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi,
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the last of the prophets. Immediately after the story of the fall into sin in the third chapter of Genesis there follows the promise of a Redeemer from sin, death, and hell. And this star of hope for all mankind not only never sinks in the writings of Moses and the prophets but shines on in increasing brightness, until finally the last prophet exclaims, "Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." Mai 3,1. Everything in the writings of the old covenant relating to doctrine, admonition, warning, reproof, and comfort; everything reported in them, even the genealogical tables; all the stories of great signs and wonders which happened; all the wonderful ways God’s chosen people were led; finally, all the holy offices, seasons, places, and ceremonies whose divine regulations and institutions it describes, all these things had as their final purpose keeping the hope for Christ’s coming aflame, pointing to and preparing for him, testifying of him and by means of symbols and types pointing tc his person, his work, his blessings, and his kingdom.
Or is the Old Testament so lacking in evangelical comfort that Christians who desire it must seek it alone in the New? No, indeed not! Yes, this comfort is often veiled in dark prophecies and types; but that comfort from the writings of Moses and the prophets gushes forth for the Christian who lives in the time of fulfilment and through the New Testament has the key to the Old. What inexhaustible founts of comfort are such passages as this one in Exodus, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Ex 34,6.7a. Or the one in Isaiah, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Is 1,18. Or the one in Jeremiah, "Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever." Jer 3,12. Or the one in Ezekiel, "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live."
Ezek 33,11.
Where in the whole New Testament can one find more comforting passages? What is the whole world with all its glory in comparison to one such passage from God's own mouth? Where is there a Christian frightened because of his sins who, hearing or reading these passages, was not overwhelmed with comfort? And what should I say of the Psalter, this prayer-book of all of God's children, inspired by the Holy Ghost, the very Spirit of grace and prayer? How many millions of Christians of all times and all countries have refreshed themselves by these comforting Psalms in their temporal and spiritual troubles and temptations and moistened these pages with tears of repentance and joy!
Yet our text speaks not only of the " comfort " but also of the " patience " of Scripture, that is, the patience which these writings of the Old Testament give and work in the hearts of its readers. Just remember that the believers of the old covenant,under the heavy burden of the Law and the sufferings of this age, had to wait 4,000 long years for the Redeemer promised in Paradise. But they did wait in patience, even though the fulfilment of the promise always dragged on from one generation, one century, one millennium to the next.
When Jacob saw that the hour of his departure had come and the promised Redeemer had not yet come, he did not doubt that the promise would be fulfilled; that had been his comfort throughout a life full of trouble; he left this world exclaiming, "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord." Gen 49,18.
And all the believers of the Old Testament did that; their faith was a continual yearning forward look and longing, waiting for the Sun of righteousness to arise. Luke says expressly that old Simeon, who was tired of life and happy at the thought of death, was "waiting for the consolation of Israel." We are told that the prophetess Anna spoke of the promised Savior "to all them
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that looked for redemption in Jerusalem/' Lk 2,38, when the Christ-child was presented in the temple.
You see from this how important the Old Testament is also for us Christians of the New Testament times. We read on all pages of the Old Testament how the believers waited in patience 4,000 long years for the coming of the Savior into the flesh, even though according to one’s reason it often seemed that it would be foolish to wait any longer; can not this example strengthen the Christians of the new covenant to wait in patience under the heavy burden of their cross for the return of the Savior in glory on judgment day? Of course, after 1900 years mockers might now cry out even more loudly than at the time of Peter, "Where is the promise of his coming?" — if we diligently read the Old Testament, we will also say with Jacob, "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord." In your sight one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. But finally the blessed hour will strike, when you will come and open to us the doer to the kingdom of your eternal glory. Hallelujah!
One more point, my friends! In our text the apostle says that the Old Testament is so important for the Christians of the New, because they are such a rich source of " hope;" 8 the apostle writes this way, " Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." V.4.
The New Testament contains the story of the life, suffering, and death of our Savior, but only a few fragments of the biography of the apostles and other believers; on the other hand, the Old Testament has a complete biography of many believers. And what do we find there?
Not that they sought Gad, but that God sought them. Not that they remained faithful to God, but that God always remained faithful to them. God comforted them in tribulation and delivered them from ail misery. When they cried to him, he heard them. When they stumbled, God raised them up again. When they erred from the way, God sought them out and led them back to the right way. When they fell into grievous sins, Sod punished them and let them feel his anger, but he did not reject them forever; remembering his covenant of grace, he went after them, enticed them to repent, and, when they returned in tears, graciously accepted them.
Think of Adam and Eve, of Noah, of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and his sons, of Job the man of patience, of Moses the mediator of the old covenant, of Aaron the first high priest, of David the royal prophet, the great sinner and yet, by grace, the great saint, the great hero and the great man of prayer, of faithful Daniel in exile and active confessor, and of all the prophets; God led them all on ways which can only be called wonderful until they finally fell asleep in faith in him who was to come.
In their lives we have real, living examples presented to us by the Holy Spirit himself of the promise of the Lord, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal-life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Jn 10,27.28. There we have living examples of the words of the apostle, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Cor 10,13. There we have real living examples of that which the same apostle writes, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil 1,6.
Or my dear Christian, can you read the Old Testament without being strengthened in the " hope " of eternal life? Can you read the Old Testament and still doubt your salvation or despair completely? Why should God through his
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Holy Spirit have wanted to record all the many examples of those wonderful, gracious ways to salvation, some of whom were great horrible sinners, if he had not wanted to have the greatest sinner take " hope ", weary and heavy laden turn to Christ, the Friend of sinners, and die confidently in this hope?
Well then, my friends, learn from this what an inexpressibly great treasure you have in also the Old Testament. Do not let yourselves be robbed of it by your own blind reason or the mockery of wicked scoffers. Read it diligently but with the heartfelt prayer for the enlightenment of the Holy Ghost, for by his own reason and strength no one can understand either the New or the Old Testament to his salvation. Continue to compare the Old Testament with the New; it was not until Christ opened the writings of Moses and the prophets to the Emmaus disciples that they understood it and their hearts then burned within them in heavenly joy. Above all seek Christ in it, for "to him," says Peter, "give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10,43. Then from your own experience you will learn to say and sing, also with reference to the Old Testament,
Thy Word doth deeply move the heart,
Thy Word doth perfect health impart,
Thy Word my soul with joy doth bless,
Thy Word brings peace and happiness. Amen. (5,2)