3RD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

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

Dear friends in Christ Jesus!

Surely there are few people, who, if they still believe in a heaven and a hell, do not believe that they will some day enter heaven. But if one asks them upon what they base their belief and why they cherish such a hope, most answer the question in such a way that one clearly sees: their faith is without foundation; it is nothing but an empty conceit which will some day deceive them.

How do most answer the question: Why do you believe that you will be saved? The one says: I believe it because God is good; he is a loving heavenly Father who certainly will not be so stern and cruel as to reject and condemn me forever. But whoever hopes to be saved for such a reason builds his faith upon the hope that God has only the attribute of love but not that of righteousness; hence, he builds upon sand; his faith is an empty conceit; but he will awaken too late for God is righteous as well as loving.

Another says, I know very well that God is not merely a loving God but also a righteous and holy God; I believe that I will be saved because he has shown me from my youth on that he loves me and has been gracious to me. I have often prayed to God in trouble and he has heard my prayer; he has blessed me in' temporal things; I see how God has caused my affairs to prosper. From this I clearly see: God must love me; why should I doubt my salvation? Whoever hopes to be saved for this reason builds his faith on the idea that God must be pleased with those to whom he has shown many mercies; he also builds upon sand, For God has not only commanded us to do good even to our enemies, but he does that himself. "He is kind," says Christ, "unto the unthankful and to the evil." Lk 6:35c. So, far be it, that evidences of God's goodness always reveal that God takes delight in a man; in the case of most men they are rather simply enticements to repent; for the apostle says this, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forebearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Rom 2:4.

Still another says, We indeed know that if a person lives in sin, he does not have God's grace, even though like the rich man in the Gospel he is overwhelmed with divine blessings and supposes he is sitting in God's lap; we therefore believe that we will be saved because, thank God, we are not conscious of gross sins as other godless people are; as much as has been in our weak power to do so, we have lived piously and uprightly from our youth on; no one can speak evil of us; yes, we all are sinners: if God would want to condemn all those who have sins of weakness, as we have, no one would be saved. Whoever hopes to be saved for such reasons builds his faith on the fact that God cannot punish insignificant sins and that God sees no more sins in him than he sees in himself; he also builds upon sand for in God's eyes all sins are great sins, and where we see no sin God's eyes which pierce our heart see a thousand. We therefore read that the Pharisee who said, "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers," and the like,' did not go down to his house justified; with all his respectability, uprightness, and piety he was, condemned.

Others perceive that one cannot be saved that way. They therefore say, I know right well, that I cannot enter heaven by my own piety, and that God must punish also my, failings and weaknesses; but I have already endured so many crosses, troubles, and distresses in this world; my God has already severely punished me here for my sins with much sickness, with pains, with poverty and let me atone for them; alas, I have had few days of joy in this life! and so I think that in the world to come I will be better off. Anyone who hopes to be saved for such reasons also builds his faith upon sand; for even if a person would not have one happy hour in a span of 100 years, he could not atone for a single sin for God has fixed death, temporal and eternal death, as the price for sin. Therefore, whoever builds upon the atonement of his sins cannot atone for them here but must atone for them forever in eternity.

Thank God, my friends, there are those who say that they base their hope of salvation not merely upon God's love, nor upon the blessings they have enjoyed here, nor upon their respectability, nor upon their sufferings here in this world, but they hope to be saved alone through Christ. Now although this answer is better, yet a person cannot suppose that he actually believes in Christ while actually the basis of his faith is something entirely different. If you ask an enthusiast of our days, who definitely has a false faith, how he wants to be saved, he also will tell you, Through Christ. But one must not be deceived; for only he has the true faith in Christ who bases it upon the word. That is the subject, etc.

The text. Matthew 8:1-13.

On the basis of this Gospel may I present to you that

ONLY THAT IS THE TRUE FAITH WHICH CLINGS ALONE TO THE WORD

for

I. Only Such a Faith has the Correct Foundation, and

II. Only Such a Faith Produces the Correct Fruit.

I.

In our today's Gospel we find two examples of a faith which is endorsed by its success, yes, in part admired and praised by Christ himself as an example of faith. In these examples we can therefore learn to know the true faith which definitely will not deceive a person.

Upon what do the two believers in our text base their faith? to what did they cling? First of all, what about the leper? We read that he worshiped Christ and said, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." At first glance it seems as if the leper had absolutely no faith in Christ but only doubt and mistrust. But it only seems so. We must' remember that the leper did not ask for grace, nor for the forgiveness of sins, nor for the salvation of his soul, but for the temporal blessing of health. The leper knew very well that God sent sickness to many to save them; he, therefore, thought that his leprosy was necessary for his salvation. To ask unconditionally for healing he considered presumptuousness; he indeed prayed for help for his body but with the condition if Christ willed it, that is, if it would not be against Christ's gracious will. Ha wants to say that Christ knew better whether sickness or health was good for him; he left the fulfilment of his petition up to Christ's will; yet the leper was certain that if Christ wanted to, he could cleanse him. My friends, what did the leper want from Christ? upon what did he base his faith, including also

the hope for help? It was Christ's express Word and promise. Until Christ really did say, "I will; be thou clean," the leper did not expect to be healed; first he wanted to hear the word and he would be satisfied.

Now what was the nature of the Centurion's faith? He also prayed for a temporal blessing. What did he wish for in order to be certain of help? As we learn from the report of the Evangelist Luke, he sent someone to ask Christ, "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented." When Christ immediately replied, "I will come and heal him," how did he have Christ answered? This way, "Lord. I am not worthy thou thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and mv servant shall be healed." V. 8 You see, the Centurion did not ask Christ for a sign, perhaps lay his hand upon the sick servant, or something similar as others often did; yes, he did not even expect Christ to come into his house; Christ should speak only one Word; he asked for nothing more; that and nothing else is the foundation upon which he built his faith, and he clung so firmly to this, that nothing, not even Christ being absent, could shake him in his faith.

Yes, he also clearly told Christ why he relied so firmly upon his word and continued, "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this man. Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." V. 9. The centurion means to say, My word is merely the word of a man, and yet it actually accomplishes that what I say to those who are under me; how dare I doubt that it would happen if you utter your omnipotent Word? I am a man, you are God's Son; not only men but also all the powers of heaven and earth are at your command; one can rely upon your Word; you merely have to say one word and sickness, death, and the devil must quickly leave. "You speak, and it is done; you command, and it stands fast." Ps 33:9.

In order that we may not doubt that this was the true faith such as Christ wants it to be, we are told in our Gospel, "When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you. I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you. That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion. Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." Vv.1-13.

If on the basis of this we examine the faith of those who say that they also will be saved through faith in Christ, we will, sad to say, soon find that only too many without suspecting it do not have the true faith. For upon what do most, and indeed often those who are in earnest about their Christianity, found their faith? Gr.e of them says, I believe that I will be saved by Christ, for I have truly repented, I have come to a living knowledge of my sins and deeply regret them; therefore, I dare certainly believe that my sins are forgiven for Christ's sake.

Another says, I believe that because I have experienced it in my heart; once I was greatly worried about my many sins; I did not know where in the whole wide world I could find rest; my transgressions were like mountains before my eyes. Then I fell upon my knees and cried to God from my heart to take pity upon me, and behold! soon I received rich comfort in my heart; it was as though an inner voice said to me, Your sins are forgiven; sweet peace and heavenly rest entered my soul; now I am certain that I am in God's grace.

A third says, Once I also was in great distress of soul; I saw that I could not stand before God in spite of my past honorable life; like the voice of thunder God's Word had shouted in my heart, You are marked for death! I fell into despair. Then I began to pray and to sigh and to struggle and to

wrestle with God and continued doing that day and night until I finally received the testimony of the Holy Spirit in my heart. And lo! finally I also received this testimony; I could now shout for joy, I have finally gained the treasure! My sins are forgiven! I have now found grace! X am now a child of God! I am an heir of heaven! Christ is mine! I am saved! Hallelujah!

And there are those who say, that they believe that they will be saved by Christ because they have become entirely different persons. In the past they had lived like the world in many manifest sins or in many of the vanities of the world, and were unconcerned about God and his Word and their soul's salvation, but at a certain time they were as though changed; they had laid aside the old sins, they no longer joined in the vain pleasures of the world, now they live a quiet life, not a single day passes by in which they do not pray and read something in God's Word, now they go diligently to church and Holy Communion, now they have an entirely different insight in God's Word and all Christian doctrine; they, therefore, suppose that they can certainly believe that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake and that they also will be saved.

Finally, there are also those who believe this because, as they say, after a fervent prayer they once saw Christ himself, felt the Holy Spirit in their own body, or had received other noteworthy appearances and revelations from heaven.

As certain as it is that those who can relate such experiences, how once they had experienced a deep regret over the sinfulness, a sweet peace of heart, the heavenly impulse of the Holy Spirit, a change of life, and the like, I say, that as certain as it is that divine grace has somewhat awakened them, that God has worked in them, knocked at their hearts, and visited them to bring them to the true saving faith, nevertheless all, who build their faith and hope of salvation upon such experiences, have a false, unsteady, precarious foundation. Woe to those who build their faith upon their repentance, for even the most earnest repentance is imperfect and even the deepest regret does not make one worthy before God! Woe to those who rely upon the sweet feeling of peace, which once arose in them, for this feeling is transitory! Woe to those who found their state of grace on having once felt the testimony of the Holy Spirit, for this testimony is by no means always in one's heart! Woe to those who comfort themselves as having received the adoption of God because they live a new life, for even the best life is condemned, if God does not cover it with his grace.

The example of the leper and the centurion in our Gospel shows us the only true foundation which our faith should have: it is the Word! Whoever relies on the promise that God himself gives in his Word, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," Mk 16:16; whoever relies upon the Word which Christ himself says, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." Jn 6:37. "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; in short, whoever dares to believe that his sins are also forgiven and that he also will be saved simply because God has revealed in his Word that all men, all, even the greatest sinner, are reconciled with him through Christ and will be saved if he believes in him, he has a firm, solid, unchangeable foundation for his faith; for .the Word of the Lord is right and all his works are done in truth.

Even though such a believer does not feel any grace but only wrath, he does not despair; he says, My heart speaks only of wrath, but the Word, which cannot lie, speaks only of grace. Even though this believer goes through great distress, so that it seems as though God has completely forgotten about him, he nevertheless does not despair; he says, God is indeed leading me through the dark valley of tribulation, but the Word tells me that he is my Father. And finally, even though the hour of death comes, though Satan may launch his fiery arrows at his heart, though he may accuse him because of his

whole past life, he nevertheless is confident and says, Satan, I will not argue with you about whether I have been a good or a bad Christian, but you are not going to take the Word away from me, which promises to all sinners, who take refuge in Christ, grace, forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation; in faith I am now going to cling to this Word; I will now die relying upon this Word and with this Word I will confidently step before God's judgment; God cannot lie; what he has promised he must do; therefore, he cannot even condemn me; he must save me; he will say also to me, "As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee; enter into the joy of thy Lord."

II.

My friends, the faith which clings alone to the Word not. only has the correct foundation but it also brings forth the only genuine fruit. Permit me in the second place to say a little about this.

How fruitful that faith is which clings alone to the Word we see mainly in the example of the centurion. Two fruits especially shine forth most gloriously in this man, namely, his great humility and his ardent love. Christ was greatly despised particularly by all the eminent people; most of the distinguished Jews were ashamed of him and supposed that Christ was being greatly honored if they invited him. But what was the opinion of this heathen centurion? He deemed himself so unworthy that he not only did not invite Christ in and, as Luke says, did not even dare to go to him himself but sent the elders of the Jews to him, but, when the Lord said that he was ready to come to him, did not permit it even then but said, "Lord. I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof." What humility!

We also hear that he sympathized with the sickness and pain of his servant as only a father can with his own child. If we recall that in those times slaves were usually treated in the most heartless manner and were hardly considered human beings, we must be even more amazed at the fatherly heart which this old soldier here revealed toward his sick slave. And we must also add that according to Luke's report this centurion was known and loved among the Jews because of his love to God's people and their religion, a love which he showed by building a synagogue for the Jews at Capernaum with his own money.

These things show us that his faith in Christ and the certainty of his Word was not an idle thought but something living, active, busy, and powerful; his faith had turned him into a new person who was rich in Christian virtues and truly good works.

As that faith which clings firmly to the Word once showed itself in the centurion, so it always shows itself in all who have it in their hearts. In our days not seldom do we hear from the mouth of unbelievers the remonstrance that faith takes away all zeal for good works; yes, even the enthusiasts, who loudly boast of their faith, nowadays not seldom say that a faith which relies merely upon the Word is a dead thing; it produces no change in man's heart. But why do they say that? They have not experienced it.

To be sure, a faith which clings alone to the Word seems to be a very easy and convenient thing to have, but it only seems that way. No person can give himself such a faith. Many indeed think that they have it, but in the hour of temptation when their sins awaken, or in the hour of death when they see the divine judgment nearing, only too often the very opposite is revealed. Then it comes to light that most who boasted of faith in the Word really placed their trust in their own works and so were comfortless in that evil hour.

A person comes to that faith which clings alone to the Word only if he before had learned to know that outside of the Word he has no other foundation

for his faith or anchor for his hope; the Holy Ghost places this faith into the heart of a man when he begins to be afraid of sin, hell, and most of all of God himself. Then the Holy Spirit leads this frightened sinner to the point that, despairing of all his ability, willingness, preparation, works, and piety, he dares to cling completely and only to the Word.

Oh, happy is the person who finally can say, Alas, with my own repentance, with my resolutions, with my improvement, with my holiness I can never stand before God; I will cling to that grace in Christ which God promises to poor sinners who have nothing but sin; he cannot recall his Word; he must take pity upon me! I say, happy is the one who is finally led by the Holy Ghost this far and permits himself to be preserved in this mind and faith until his end! Such a believer will most certainly show very soon the glorious fruits of his faith, just as did the centurion who believed the Word. Such a believer then begins to be truly humble; he does not, as do the spiritually proud enthusiasts, act and speak humbly, but he actually stands before God and men in the deepest poverty of the spirit; he considers himself unworthy of any grace; he does not deem himself more worthy than the greatest of all sinners and daily he appears before God as a naked, beggar who desires not justice but grace.

Is it possible that he should also not be filled with love to God and his brethren, who believes in the truth that nothing but God's daily mercy preserves him body and soul and overwhelms him with countless blessings? Is it possible that the living Word of God should be taken into a heart and it should not be made alive? No! The divine Word which such a believer bears in his heart is like a glowing coal which does not let him remain cold but warms his heart and makes him heavenly-minded. It shows itself in him as the divine incorruptible seed by which he is begotten by God to be a firstfruit of his creatures.

May then the Holy Spirit himself work a living faith in everyone of us, a faith which clings to the Word by which we will not only stand in distress and death, but also shine as lights in this world. May he do that to us for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Savior. Amen.