Fourth Sunday after
Trinity.
The Collect.
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O
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GOD, the protector of all that trust in
thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply
upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through
things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O
heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle
Romans viii. 18-23
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RECKON that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of
him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall
be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting
for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Before proceeding to the Gospel
text for today, let us take a summary look at the deep, spiritual meaning
provided in the Collect for today (above):
The soaring majesty of the words of
Martin Luther's, A Mighty Fortress, come to mind in the reading of this
Collect:
A
mighty fortress is our God,
a
bulwark never failing;
our
helper he amid the flood
of
mortal ills prevaling.
For
still our ancient foe
doth
seek to work us woe;
his
craft and power are great,
and
armed with cruel hate,
on
earth is not his equal.
This hymn was composed at a time when the protection of God's powerful hand
seemed most comforting to those, including Luther, who faced imminent of
possible martyrdom. A classical hymn is no less than a prayer put to music. Its
words are as immortal as the biblical truths that the hymn puts forth in
rhythmic prose.
Is God your help and fortress? Does He preserve you in the moments of hurt and
doubt, and prosper your hand in righteousness during times of prosperity? O
GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee. We see, not only in this
prayer, but in scripture itself, a thing condemned by the world but practiced
by God. God profiles and discriminates in his dealings with His people. Those
who do not trust in God may not claim the privilege of His protection. He seeks
those who have the faith to trust in Him under any and all circumstances of
life. Remember that there are only two families and classes among all the
people of the earth - past, present, and future - the family of God, and the
family of the Prince of Darkness. There is NO MIDDLE GROUND! Trust is all
important. We all tend to place our trust in SOMETHING - our friends, our job,
our wealth, or our own hand. But trust misplaced is trust abandoned. Trust is
so important to God that He places it in the very center verse of Holy
Scripture: It is better to
trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:9) The
national motto of our United States is "In God we Trust." We consider
it of such importance that we place it on every coin minted by our government.
Sadly, the motto is dead without the real trust that should back both our money
and our motto.
When the storms and billows build upon the seas of your life, you may take
courage in the Psalmists words of encouragement and strength: If I take the
wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even
there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:9-10) If we have made our election in Christ sure, we may rely upon the
promises found in Isaiah: … Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have
called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I
will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when
thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the
flame kindle upon thee. (Isaiah
43:1-2)
I went to visit the father of one of my young church family, a veteran
seemingly at the point of death, just this two years past. The man's body was
emaciated and he had a breathing tube in his throat and multiple IV's attached.
He seemed lifeless as he lay there struggling for every breath. I spoke softly to
him and there was only a glimmer of understanding on his part. After reading
the 91st Psalm to him, he suddenly opened his blue eyes, looked me
in the face and grasped my hand. His tongue was swollen and protruding from his
mouth. He could not speak though I sensed he had something to say. After a
prayer for God's will to be worked in the body of this poor soul, I left under
the impression I might never see him again this side of Jordan Waters - but I
did! The next evening, a relative
of the man called to say he had undergone a remarkable improvement. I visited
him again on Monday to find the breathing tube removed and the man able to
talk. I knew not how long his recovery would last, but I do know that the man
had taken heart at the words of God in the 91st Psalm. He had heard
words that he KNEW he could place his trust in - and he has revived to the
astonishment of the hospital staff who had previously suggested taking the man
off all life support. Even as the jaws of death enclose us, we have the
privilege to call upon our Lord of all help.
. . . without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy. Apart from
God there is NOTHING! There was only a void where the earth now stands, and
even the void was created by the Word of God. There is NO LIFE apart from His
loving provision. So there can be NO STRENGTH apart from God. He is the PRIME
MOVER and SUSTAINER of all things. And can there be holiness apart from God.
None whatsoever, for there are none righteous - no not ONE! There can be no
holy thought, no holy ground, apart from a Holy God to provide it.
Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy God's mercy is as
abundant as a gushing fountain. We can never reach a point when we believe we
have had enough. It continually flows forth and bathes us in its resplendent
waters of light. If we magnify our Lord, He will magnify His mercies upon
us. . . . that, thou being
our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally
lose not the things eternal. Do we not pray to get through the fires of life un-scorched?
In the burning building, as in the world of smoke and mirrors, we desperately
seek the way that leads to safety. We may grope and stumble until the fires
consume us because we have no Guide in the fires. But we do have a strong Guide
and Ruler who is our King and Sovereign. His eyes are forever on His own. He
will go through the fires with us, sheltering us with His wings, and bring us,
unscathed, to safety. But we must keep our hand, and our trust, in Him during
the danger. Those things of the world may cause us to break hold of Christ and
wonder into places that lead us to perish. Can we cast aside the false glitter
and dim lights of this world and keep our focus fixed on that Light that never
fails. If we are able to persevere to the last, we shall be saved to enjoy the
splendor of Heaven.
How can our saving mercies be granted on behalf of One who has already gained
the Kingdom of His Father? How is Christ profited by our grant of mercy? "Grant
this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord."
The very dying desire of Christ was that we might be saved. His ordeal of
torture and earth was all for us. He purchased our salvation with His atoning
death if we will only place our trust in that mighty Salvation! It is for the
sake of His Son that God the Father will admit us into His Heaven as pure and
righteous sons of God. Have you placed your absolute trust in Him,
Friend?
The Gospel
St. Luke vi. 36-42
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E ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge
not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be
measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the
blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his
master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest
thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is
in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull
out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam
that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine
own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy
brother’s eye.
In a world which places a very high premium upon achievement and performance,
we are often misled, even by our clergy, to believe our works are the means by which we are saved. The modern
church emphasizes giving almost to the exclusion of all other considerations.
The rich man, or woman, will be rewarded with honors and positions of
responsibility even if their daily lives do not reflect that Spirit of which
Christ spoke. Perhaps the poor widow that spends all of her available time in
cooking for the sick and homeless will be forgotten in the perishable minds of
men, but shall be more highly remembered and favored in the Infinite Mind of
God. God gives us many hints of His Will to be fulfilled in Christ in the midst
of the Old Testament. The people of Israel were living as they pleased and
believing that all their sins were remitted by the sacrifices of the wealthy.
But God counseled: For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the
knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6) The money-changers of the modern temple
would have us persist in believing that we can BUY God’s favor while living as
we please, but it was NEVER so. Mercy and truth are met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Psalm 85:10) Mercy and truth are husband and wife –
inseparable! If we will have mercy, we must accept truth with it. As Jesus told
the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well, . . . the hour cometh, and
now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23) ‘Spirit’
is not emotionalism, but love of God and our fellow man. But our love must be
directed in truth, for false worship is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord.
As we read in our biblically-oriented prayer of Collect, God is the protector
of all who trust in Him. We can claim none of God’s protection apart from the
measure of trust we place wholly in Him. Without God, we have no strength at
all, and our righteousness is as filthy rags. Apart from God, there is no
holiness to be had. We lean upon God for His increasing mercies in His
Sovereign Rule over us, and to Guide us through the Wilderness of Sin of this
present world. Only God can show us the safe and righteous way – we cannot find
it alone. In avoiding those things that worldly, we are amassing to ourselves
those treasures that are heavenly. These are the Godly petitions we repeated
from today’s prayer of Collect.
In our Epistle for today, taken from Romans 8, we discover there is groaning of
the mortal soul inclined to the Holiness of God. Such a struggle and groaning
is forever present with us until the curtain of time is lifted and time shall
be no more. It is not a sorrowful groaning, but an intense desire to see God’s
will worked out on earth as it is in Heaven according to that prayer the Lord
taught us to say. When sorrow and misery befalls the stranger to God,
hope is forlorn and there is no brilliant Light upon which he may fix his eyes
from the darkness that engulfs his wretched soul. But the child of God embraces
the Light even more earnestly as the dark circle surrounds him, or a loved one.
He knows, innately, that the Light is his destination and not the dark fires of
Hell that seem to presently surround him. . . . . weeping may endure for
a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5b)
Our Gospel text calls us to a higher standard of life and Spirit than a rigid
adherence to the law can afford. If perfect obedience were possible, there
would be no need of mercy; but we can never be perfect keepers of the Law of
God, therefore, we must have mercy if we are to be accounted blameless and
righteous in entering the Kingdom of Heaven.
Consider the great pardon and mercy shown to us through the substitutionary
death of Christ! He suffered that we might forego the eternity of Hell. We
should rightfully be punished for our life of sin, yet Christ died in our stead
that we, accepting His Lordship, might be pardoned and forgiven. Be ye
therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. This is
a mighty admonition to us, for we can never be as merciful as God has been
toward us. But God would have us to take on the very nature of mercy in our
dealings with others. Though a child can seldom match the understanding of his
father or mother, he will nonetheless mimic the nature he sees in his parents.
That is what God desires of His children today.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall
not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven So many good Christians misunderstand this to mean Christian
judgment is forbidden. Nothing could be further from the truth. The meaning to
us is this: We should not judge with our personal judgments, but with the
righteous judgment of God as evidenced in His Word. Jesus Christ gives us
commandment that is clear: Judge not
according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24) We
are not only to judge from the heart, but also judge only by the measure of God’s
judgment and not our own. If God has declared a certain behavior sin, that is
not OUR judgment, but God’s. Simply declaring God’s condemnation of a sin is
not our PERSONAL judgment, but HIS! Remember the debtor to the king whose great
debt was forgiven by the king and, who, after went out and took a man by the
throat who owed him a small sum, threatening to sell his wife and family into
slavery? He was forgiven a fortune, but refused to forgive his own
servant a small debt. How merciless was he! Are we not the same? The King of
Glory has forgiven us an enormous debt, and a multitude of debts, yet we refuse
to forgive those who offend us in the slightest measure.
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with
the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. It is not possible to give more
than God has given, for He immediately replenishes our bottles of oil the
moment we pour out our blessings to others. There are blessings that cannot be
measured in simple terms of a piece of bread for a piece of bread. Our giving
of bread to the poor is multiplied in return value a thousand times. Our souls
have rest and a good conscience thereby. Peace of mind is a possession not
enjoyed by the greedy.
Can the blind lead the blind? Of course they can! It is happening in 90% of
America’s churches today. Ministers, blind to the love and Spirit of God, are
leading their blind disciples ever nearer the gaping abyss that awaits all who
do not hear with clarity the voice of God. 39 And
he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both
fall into the ditch? This is a parable of Jesus that has profoundly present
implications. Our seminaries have been turned from a concentrated focus on the
Word of God to an obsession with church growth, conflict resolution, seeker
friendly programs, and, yes, MONEY schemes! If the lay Christian is NOTR blind
(informed deeply by the Word of God) it is not likely that he can be led by the
nose by a blind guide.
Do you know that there are theologians today who believe that they are better
informed of God’s Will than Jesus Christ? It is true. There are those among the
despicable movement called “Higher Critics” who believe that textual analysis
and archeological digs have revealed to them information that Jesus did not
have while on his earthly ministry. They obviously discredit Christ as the Son
of the Living God, and God Himself! Their new bibles attempt to alter the
evidence to support their intentional errors. 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is
perfect shall be as his master. I once disputed with a local minister who claimed that speaking
in tongues (nonsensical babbling) was required for salvation. We argued the
issue endlessly. Finally, I asked, “Is Jesus Christ our perfect example in all
things?” Of course, the minister answered in the affirmative to which I
followed up, “Do we have any evidence of Jesus EVER speaking in an ecstatic and
incomprehensible tongue?” The man REFUSED to answer. If we will have perfect
religion, and undefiled, let us be as much like Christ as our earthen vessels
will afford.
How many clergymen preach against the sins of lying, stealing, adultery, etc.,
and harbor those sins in the dark chambers of their own hearts? Of course these
sins are condemned by God; however, we must not judge others by a stronger
measure than we apply to our own conduct. If we criticize the housekeeping of a
neighbor, let us first sweep the trash and filth from our own floors. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother,
let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not
the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out
of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is
in thy brother's eye.
If we are to have authority as men and women of God, we must see that we follow
Christ in love and truth. We not only pronounce the truth of God’s Word to others,
but we must make that truth the rule of our own lives. Owning the Spirit of
Love and Truth, we shall walk the Valleys and Mountains with our eyes open to
the presence and company of God.
