Each Day in the Word, Tuesday, March 7th

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Tom and Karen Klumb

Luke 14:25-35

25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

There will always be those people who apply a literal understanding to Holy Scripture where Christ is utilizing a figurative language. And then, not surprisingly, those same people will apply a figurative understanding when Christ meant it literally. Let’s be clear with this text! Christ is not commanding a literal hatred toward father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and even to your own self. He is making the point that all of those (or anything, for that matter) must not come before Him.

In faith we know that nothing should be allowed to keep us from following Him. You can’t count on anyone else! Nor can you count on yourself! The world, your flesh and the devil will all dupe you into thinking that you can take care of you. Or, that you are all taken care of simply because you have a loving family and lots of friends. To be sure, they have their place, God works through them, and much love will come from them to you. But when it comes to spiritual matters (namely, salvation), they, and you, cannot get you saved. Nothing should get in the way of Christ being the most important in your life. Once He gets replaced by some false god (idol) and your trust gets placed in it for your comfort and happiness, rather than in Christ, you have lost Christ, which means you’ve lost salvation.

Thankfully Christ’s fully atoning merits for the forgiveness of sins are the foundation upon which saving faith gets created and sustained through God’s Word and Sacrament ministry! Christ is your foundation! Christ has already won the war! Thanks be to God, Christ is your salt!

Let us pray: O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

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Each Day in the Word, Monday, March 6th

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Tom and Karen Klumb

Luke 13:1-17

13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

“What about sin in the world?” There was the murdered Galileans, or the Galileans on whom the tower fell. There was the fig tree not bearing fruit and the women suffering an infirmity for eighteen years. Did these things happen because they were worse sinners than others? According to the One who is the Word made flesh the answer is, “No!” He says that when we see the effects of sin in the world, it should remind us of the sin in our own lives, and how we need to repent.

The season of Lent is a season of repentance. Christians aren’t supposed to give something up during Lent in order to please God. We do it to remind ourselves of how sinful we are; how easily we worship the created things of the world as opposed to the Creator. By denying ourselves, we can concentrate on the things of God and how He has taken care of us, both temporally and spiritually.

Sometimes evil happens to people because they sin and reap consequences thereof. But evil also happens simply because we live in a broken world and we cannot avoid the cascade of others’ sins. God uses all these things for His greater good as He teaches us the most important thing, which is repentance and forgiveness in our Savior Jesus Christ.

Properly “remembering” the Sabbath day brings us to be focused upon and rest in God’s promises assured to us through the fully atoning merits of Christ Jesus so that we may grow in His righteousness according to faith, and that we may help others in their sufferings.  The sabbath was never meant to vanquish works of love, but centered on, and through, Christ acts of love necessarily happen.

Let us pray: O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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Racism has no place in a Christian worldview

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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1 Thessalonians 4:1-7  +  Matthew 15:21-28

In our racially charged environment, where the color of a person’s skin seems to be one of the most important things to notice about a person, and where we are being taught by society to make no judgments about a person because of their race in some cases, and to make lots of judgments about a person because of their race in other cases, today’s Gospel about Jesus’ encounter with the non-Jewish woman from Canaan gives us the opportunity to say a few things about “race” from a Christian perspective.

First, let’s define racism—properly, not according to the demonic, Marxist definition where, if you’re white, you’re an oppressor and if you’re not white, you’re oppressed. Real racism is the hatred of a person or the mistreatment a person or the assumption of the worst about a person simply because of the color of his or her skin, that is, who that person is descended from. And that’s the key for the Christian. We know very well that we’re all descended from the same man and woman—from Adam and Eve, and again from the same man and woman—from Noah and his wife. And we also know very well that we have all inherited the same sinful, fallen nature from Adam and Eve, the same disease and corruption of our being; that we are all—all human beings—lost and condemned creatures by nature; that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; and that, because of that sin, we all are under the devil’s oppression by nature, and we all die. Black, white, brown, whatever color you want to brand someone. We all die.

But Christians also know that God’s promise to Adam and Eve to send the “Seed” or the Offspring of the woman to crush the serpent’s head and to save sinners from death and from the devil is a promise of salvation for all people. And we know that God’s promise to Abraham is for all people: “In your Seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” We know that Christ sent His apostles out to preach the Gospel to “all creation,” and that they were to make disciples of “all nations,” and that there will be people from every nation, tribe, language, and people standing around the throne of God and worshiping Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the—world! So, regardless of the false teachings that have been spread throughout history, and regardless of the unchristian behavior of some who have called themselves Christians, there is simply no place for “racism” in the Christian worldview.

At the same time, we recognize from Scripture that, for a time—for about 2,000 years of the world’s roughly 6,000 year history—God did make a distinction among men. From the time of Abraham until roughly forty years after Christ’s ascension into heaven, God showed special favor to the people of Israel, to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are sometimes referred to as the Jews. It wasn’t because of the color of their skin. It wasn’t because their race was superior to other races. It wasn’t even that their race was more godly or righteous than other races. No, it was simply due to God’s gracious choice of Abraham to be the father of the nation that He would teach to know Him rightly by giving them His Word in the Old Testament Scriptures, the people whom He would train and prepare to be the cradle of the Christ, the society and culture into which His beloved Son would be born, so that He could suffer and die for our sins. And for that to happen, He had to keep the people of Israel separate from the other nations until the Christ was born, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead. That involved some strict, burdensome ceremonial laws, and it also involved some special privileges and promises and advantages over the other nations.

For 2,000 years God had been preparing the people of Israel for the birth of His Son, and He had promised to send the Christ to Israel first. That’s why, when Jesus sent out His twelve apostles to go ahead of Him (in Matthew chapter 10), He told them, Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Salvation through faith in Christ was to be preached first to the Jews.

That’s the context in which our Gospel takes place, five chapters later in Matthew 15. But you’ll notice something a little strange right from the beginning. Jesus did come first for the Jews. In fact, His entire ministry was spent in the land of Israel, with only one real exception, which we see in today’s Gospel, where Jesus traveled north of Israel, to the region of Tyre and Sidon, Gentile territory—although it’s likely that there were also Jews living there, as there were Jews living in practically all the cities of the Roman empire. It may have been primarily for those scattered Jews that Jesus traveled to Tyre and Sidon. But as we see, they would not be the only recipients of His grace.

A woman from that territory found out that Jesus was staying there. Her daughter was being tormented by a demon, by one of those fallen angels who had followed Satan in his rebellion against God. We don’t know how they were affecting her, but it was obvious, and it was painful. This woman, although she was a Gentile living outside of Israel, had somehow heard about Jesus. And the word she had heard was enough to convince her that He had power over the demons. So she comes to Him and begs Him, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is dreadfully tormented by a demon.

What did this woman know about Jesus? She called Him “Son of David,” which is a very Jewish term, since David was king of the Jews a thousand years earlier, and the “Son of David” was the common title for the Messiah, the promised Christ and King of Israel. That’s far more than the people of Israel were confessing about Jesus. Did she understand Him to be the Seed of the woman promised to Eve? Did she know of the Old Testament prophecies that the Christ would bring salvation to both Jews and Gentiles? We don’t know! But she knew enough to seek mercy from Him.

That’s why it’s a little striking that Jesus didn’t answer her right away. He said nothing. Now, there were two ways for her to interpret that silence. Either, “He doesn’t think I’m worth a reply; He won’t help me,” or, “He’s not sending me away! He’s allowing me to keep asking for mercy, so I will!” And that’s exactly what she did.

Then Jesus’ own disciples asked Him to send her away. Send her away! She is crying out after us! Why would they do that? Was it because she was making a scene with her begging and crying out? Or was it because she wasn’t a daughter of Abraham, and they recalled how Jesus had told them to go only to the people of Israel?

Jesus’ reply seems to reinforce that idea. He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” As I said earlier, Jesus essentially spent His entire ministry among the Jews (and we can a few encounters with the Samaritans, who had some Jewish blood). He had been sent by His Father only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, in the sense that He was to spend His entire earthly ministry seeking them out and ministering to them, and not to focus on the Gentiles. God had promised Israel this kind of special treatment, and He was certainly going to keep that promise to them.

But the woman still hoped that Jesus would extend grace to her. Did she know that He had already helped a Roman centurion earlier in His ministry? Maybe she did, which would have given her hope that Jesus’ mission to Israel wasn’t exclusive. She certainly knew that He had come into her territory. And so, still trusting in His goodness, she knelt before Him and said, Lord, help me! She showed the very persistence that Jesus once taught His disciples to practice. Here she was, a Gentile, doing it all on her own.

Jesus’ reply could sound like a definitive “No!” Or even like an insult. It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. For the moment, the children were the people of Israel, and the little dogs were the Gentiles. (Although in just a matter of months, that would all change!)

In reality, Jesus was leaving the door wide open, on purpose, for this non-Jewish woman to put all the Jews to shame with her faith-filled reply: Yes, Lord. But the dogs do eat from the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. She could handle being counted among the little dogs, if it meant she could have the crumbs from her master’s table. What humility! She has no sense of entitlement. No chip on her shoulder. She’s looking up to Jesus as her master, as a dog looks up happily to its master, for a little bit of grace from the God of grace, and she was sure that He would give it.

And He did, along with a word of praise. Oh, woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish. Only two people in all of history received this high praise from the Lord Jesus. Both of them were non-Jews: one man—the Roman centurion—and this woman.

Here we see a foretaste of what was to come, of the fulfillment of God the Father’s words to His Son spoken through the prophet Isaiah: It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. Soon there would be no distinction between Jew and Gentile. After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, He sent His apostles to preach the Gospel to all creation. They were to preach it first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles. But now that the Gospel has gone out into all the world, all distinctions have been removed. The righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, has been revealed from heaven to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference—no distinction! For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Through the centuries, the devil has taken advantage of the fallenness of our race, prodding people of every race to find things to hate about one another, each one seeking not the good of his neighbor but of himself, each one giving himself a reason to look down on other people. There is racism in the world, and it is practiced by people of every race. And there are also false charges of racism being thrown about left and right. But the message of Christianity is diametrically opposed to racism. For God’s so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Today’s Gospel is just another example of that. We see His faithfulness to the Jewish people as part of His plan to rescue the human race from the power of the devil. We see the Gentile woman’s humility before God and man, and her unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in spite of apparent rejection. We see her persistence in prayer. And we see the grace and goodness of Christ Jesus, which is now extended to the whole world, without any distinction on the basis of race. Go forth with that Christian worldview, and live your lives accordingly, with unshakable faith in Christ, with the recognition that everyone in the world, including you, is a sinner who needs saving, with the understanding that Christ died for the sins of the world, and with the conviction that God wants all men, including you, including your neighbor of a different skin tone, to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Amen.

 

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Each Day in the Word, Sunday, March 5th

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Tom and Karen Klumb

 Mark 9:2-10

2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

What a stunning vision was given to Peter, James and John!  Is it any wonder that they wanted to stay within that glorious environment! But the Father’s voice appropriately interrupts the ‘glory-seeking’ thoughts of man. How soon they had forgotten Jesus’ words spoken to them just six days earlier. Peter had confessed Jesus as the Christ — Jesus revealed how His passion for the sake of man will play out — and then Jesus explained what the Christian life entails. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” In other words, it’s not about ‘glory’ it’s about suffering and ‘dying.’

And so it goes again when the Transfiguration takes place. They get caught up in the ‘glory’ side of things, as this is the way of the flesh. But the way of the God is suffering and crosses. It’s a theology of the cross that is revealed in God’s Holy Scripture.  The Transfiguration revealed what lies ahead — after a life of denying oneself — after a life of taking up ones cross and following the path of Christ — namely, losing ones life (dying, through baptismal remembrance), in order to find it (rising, through baptismal remembrance).

Dear Saints, follow Jesus first into God’s favor, through faith, and then through self-denial, sacrifice, and through death itself, follow Him into the lasting Paradise. He’s given you a brief vision of it today. This vision will help you die; but more importantly, it will help you to live through Christ Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life!

Let us pray: O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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Each Day in the Word, Saturday, March 4th

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Tom and Karen Klumb

Luke 12:1-34

12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The sinful flesh which remains in the baptized is afraid of those those who not only can kill the body, but can make life miserable because we believe in Christ. When we suffer anything for the sake of confessing Christ, whether mockery,   murder, or anything in between, the flesh tempts us to do deny Christ in order to make the persecution stop. When we find ourselves more concerned about what others think than what God commands, we are making an idol out of worldly praise.

Instead we are to fear the one who, “after He has killed, has power to cast into hell.” But the fear of God to which Jesus calls us is not servile. It is filial fear such as a child has for father. He does not forget the sparrows. Neither does He forget you, but knows the very hairs of your head. Fearing and loving God leads us to confess Christ before men, no matter the cost. Having Christ confess us as His brothers and sisters before the angels is far greater than any praise men can give.

The sinful flesh which remains in the baptized is also afraid of being deprived of anything we need—or want—in this life. When we have plenty we are tempted to hoard and build bigger barns so that we don’t face lack. When we lack what we need the flesh tempts us to worry as to whether or not God will provide. Both are covetousness, which is idolatry (Col 3:5).

Instead we are to trust God our Father for every good thing.  Jesus points to the ravens and lilies to show us that if He provides what these need, He will most certainly provide us with everything we need for the support of this body and life Our heavenly Father knows what we need and how best to give it to us. Trusting in God above all things, we prioritize the kingdom of God, His gracious rule in our hearts through His Word and Holy Spirit.

There is no need to fear the enemies of Christ or the things of this life. Our heavenly Father is pleased to give us His kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray: Give us Your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, so that we may fear, love, and trust in you above all things, and in that faith, confess Christ before men. Amen.

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