 James 1:16-21
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ In chapter one of his letter, James warns his readers against the desire of evil. “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15) It is not only committing actual sin that can harm our souls, but even wanting to. It is fairly common for people to struggle with this concept today. We tend to think that if we have a desire, it must be for something good. After all, why would God make me with a desire for something bad. Not so, James counters. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” (James 1:13-14) God is not the author of our temptation. We can conjure that up all on our own. Rather than blaming God for our desires and temptations, we should repent of them. We should turn away from the desire for evil before evil gets its claws in too deep. It is not, however, that all desires are evil. Desire is an emotion, and emotions can be good or bad. They can be directed by God and His Spirit, or they can be driven by the spirit of the age. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:16-17) James is encouraging his readers to desire the good things that God gives. How, though, can we know the difference? We learn the difference between good and evil desires, the difference between the righteous and wicked ends of any emotion, by calibrating our hearts with God’s Word. “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:19-21) Often, James 1:19-20 is quoted out of context as relationship advice. Indeed, we should be quick to listen and slow to respond when another person speaks to us, especially if they are confronting us with an accusation or calling us to repentance. But that misses James’ point here. We are not simply supposed to be quick to listen to other people generally. We are to be quick to hear the implanted Word of God. (v.21) God’s Law, His commands, teach us how to act, and even how to feel at times. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls out the wickedness of all sorts of desires and emotions: lust, anger, anxiety, and envy, to name a few. As we read these commands and others we are shown what is appropriate and what is not. The Gospel, too, shapes our emotions, albeit in a more direct and indirect way. When the Holy Spirit brings the good news that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has reconciled me to God, I am filled with trust in this news, and that trust opens the door for a flood of other emotions, beginning with the love of God. The Gospel actually changes my heart, makes it new, and leads me to love and desire good things. More indirectly, the Gospel also gives me confidence that my standing with God is not based on my own good deeds. I stand on firm ground in the presence of my heavenly Father because of the good deeds of Jesus Christ. So when emotions come my way, I need not merely react badly to them. I can step back, analyze them, and act appropriately. There is a wonderful prayer in the front of Lutheran Service Book that reflects this idea of the Word of God directing our hearts toward God-pleasing ends. “Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it.” (LSB, front inside cover)
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 First Peter 2:11-20
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ________________________________________ Saint Peter refers to Christians as “sojourners and exiles” in this world. Sojourners are those who are traveling through a place, but do not really belong there. They are visitors. And an exile is one who has been removed from his true home, who cannot get to the place that he should be. So, how do these labels apply to Christians? In one sense, we do belong to this world. We are created beings, and we belong in the world that God created for us. We have physical bodies that are at home in the physical world that God fashioned with them in mind. Our “at home-ness” in this world stays true, even after the fall of Adam and Eve into sin. We are all sinners, and sinners belong in a sinful world. That is where the story begins to change. Sinners are at home in the sinful world. They follow their leader, the devil, who exerts influence over them. (John 8:44) Yet, Christians have been redeemed by the death of Jesus. They have been purchased by the precious blood of Christ and, therefore, no longer belong to the devil and his kingdom. You, Christian, are a child of God. You belong to Jesus, not to the devil. You are under the authority of the new and divine heavenly reign of God, not the satanic ruler of this fallen and sinful world. Jesus is our King. God is our Father. We are motivated, not by the spirit of the age, but by the Spirit of Christ. So we are sojourners, traveling through a world that lives under the devil’s banner. We are exiles, unable to live in the new creation that will be brought into existence when Jesus returns and raises the dead. Peter’s warning and exhortation is for Christians to live as citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom. (Philippians 3:20) We do not live under the authority of the devil or according to his rules and laws. So how should we live? First, with conduct that honors God, not the devil. The passions of the flesh (greed, lust, anger, etc.) “wage war against your soul” that belongs to God. If we follow these passions, we are marching to the tune of Satan’s band. Rather, we should live in such a way that the people of this world see our conduct and praise God for it. Some will see these acts of loyalty to the Kingdom of Christ as “wicked”. They may even deride you as “evil”. Think of what people outside the church would tell you if you said that two men should not be allowed to be married. But speaking clearly about God’s design for marriage and living joyfully in it honors our Lord and confounds the devil. Second, we should subject ourselves to the human institutions that govern this world. Civil government and societal structures give order to a chaotic world. Good government is to punish evil and praise good. (1 Peter 2:14) God did not call us to stir up chaos and disorder, but to sow peace, justice, and love. Because these institutions (the U.S. Constitution, elected leaders, etc.) serve an honorable purpose, we should uphold them and willingly submit to them. Notice, however, that this is a voluntary subjection. “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” (1 Peter 2:13) “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” One of the ways that we honor these human institutions is by recognizing that they are not eternal. They are not without flaws and sins. They have limits and boundaries. We honor the emperor, not because he is without sin, but because God would have it be thus. That means when they cross the line, we can call them on it. “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) In the end, we are free from these institutions. Yet, we use that freedom to make these institutions better, stronger, more aligned with God’s will and less in line with the dictatorial mandates of hell. As you live in exile here in the fallen world, live as a loyal citizen of Christ’s Kingdom. First Peter 2:21-25
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. ________________________________________________________________________________ The suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is our salvation. It brings us back to our Shepherd and Bishop. Jesus’ work results in “the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” (Nicene Creed) He wins our freedom on the cross. Freedom, however, is not what we typically think it is. In the common usage today, freedom means being able to come and go as I please. It means having the right to do what I want when I want. It means being free from obligation and necessity. This is not the kind of freedom that Jesus wins for us, however. Jesus is, of all people, truly free. He has no sin. He is the Son of God, rightful ruler of the universe. If anyone should be without obligation it would be Him. Yet, Saint Peter teaches us, He left us an example of humble obedience to and perfect faith in God His Father. Jesus was truly free as He obeyed God. He was perfectly free in His suffering as He trusted God to save Him and judge His enemies. This is the kind of freedom that has been lavished upon us. You are not free to do as you please. Rather, the freedom that God gives is the freedom to be what God created you to be. It is the freedom to live as a son of God, to do good and not evil, to speak the truth instead of lies, to trust God to save rather than taking matters into our own hands. Living in any other way would not be freedom, but slavery to sin and death. Ours is the freedom to follow Jesus through death to sin and into real life. We have been brought back from our wandering, slavish ways to follow our Shepherd through suffering and into righteousness, doing good even to those who hate and revile us. The implication here is that the Christian will be different from the surrounding world. You will stand out like a straight line in a crooked world. Let the world bury their noses in smartphones, wallow in pornography, and puff away their worries in marijuana smoke. You will look straight at your Savior, bask in the glory of His salvation, and live unburdened of worries because He cares for you. Standing out is not easy. It makes us easy targets. Some people enjoy watching the straight line go awry. Others just hate what is truly good. When those moments of trial come, we can simply follow the example of Jesus who has been there and done that, not deceiving, hating, or attacking, but trusting. We can trust that we have died to sin and have been raised to righteousness. We rest in the unfailing care of our Shepherd and Bishop. First John 5:4-10
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. ________________________________________ “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.” But how are we to believe such a thing? How are we to dare to believe that sin, death, and devil can all be outdone simply because we have been adopted as sons of God? Saint John’s answer is that we believe it on the authority of credible witnesses. The world provides us with many sources of authority. The anchor on the nightly news, books filled with quotes and footnotes, pundits, preachers, teachers, parents, journalists, and experts of various fields all serve as sources of authority. They tell us things and we tend to believe them. They speak and we listen, and very often obey. Yet, not all authorities are created equal. If a random man with a doctoral degree meets you on the street, looks you over, and declares that you must certainly have stage 4 cancer, you would be right to regard him with suspicion. If, however, your personal physician tells you that you have stage 4 cancer after running various medical tests and consulting with other experts in the field, you are almost certainly bound to believe him. Why do we ignore the intelligent stranger and listen to our family doctor? Credentials. The stranger has at least one credential. He has a doctoral degree, which makes him an expert in a very narrow field of study. The family physician, though, has many other credentials: years of experience, medical tests, familiarity with the patient, access to other experts, knowledge of family history, a medical degree, and more. These all add to the credibility of the later and lead you to ignore the former. When someone wants us to believe what they say, they often establish their credentials. This is why physicians hang their medical degrees on the wall in their offices. It is why authors cite their sources. It is why journalists often like to get a first hand report. Credentials make authorities more believable, more credible. Even the Bible establishes its credentials for us. Take, for example, Saint Paul’s comment to the Corinthians in his first letter: “Then [Jesus] appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” (First Corinthians 15:6) When trying to establish the credentials of his testimony to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, Paul refers the reader to 500 eyewitnesses to the event. It is as if Paul is daring the reader to question him. “If you don’t believe me, just go ask one of those 500 other witnesses.” Saint John tells us that there are three witnesses who bear testimony to Jesus being the Son of God. The Spirit, the water, and the blood testify to the fact that Jesus is not a mere mortal, but God in the flesh. These three establish firm credentials for faith to latch on to. The Holy Spirit, through the verbal preaching and teaching of the Apostles, and now through the written Scriptures, testifies that Jesus is truly the Son of God. This is not something any man invented, but revealed to us through the power of God speaking via the disciples and eyewitnesses. At His baptism (the water) God revealed that “this is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) John the Baptist also confessed that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) We might take the baptism of Jesus as a summary for all of the miraculous things that occur around and through Jesus, showing time and again that He is God’s very own Son. It is at His death (the blood), however, that it becomes clear as to why Jesus’ identity as God’s Son is so important. Certainly, this event establishes Jesus’ credentials as the Son of God. It is at the cross, when God-in-the-flesh has poured out His blood for the sins of the world, that a centurion declares, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54) But it also establishes the fact that this Son of God died, not randomly, but according to the will of His Father for us, for you. Why else would God die? He does not need death. He does not need me or you. Then why die? Because He has deep compassion for us. Because He is merciful. Because He loves us. The God who loves you enough to die for you must be trustworthy. That is a witness with credentials beyond all others. So anything that He says, we should believe. You can stake your life on His every word and promise. So when John writes, “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” he is right on the money. (I John 5:5) The three witnesses have firmly established God’s credibility. He is the one authority that we can believe without the shadow of a doubt. Jesus is God’s Son, the Lamb of God whose death takes away the sin of the world. We can absolutely trust Him to forgive our every sin, to trample down the plans of the devil, and to raise us from death on the last day. By faith in the Son of God, all of God’s children overcome the world. WEDNESDAY, April 3
First Corinthians 15:51-57 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s reading begins with a radical statement: “We shall not all sleep.” Saint Paul is using the word “sleep” to mean “death.” In other words, what Paul is saying is, “We will not all die.” That is a wild departure from our typical reckoning of things. We tend to live and behave as if death is the unavoidable “end” of life, that it is something everyone must endure. And because of this depressing belief, we tend to try and distract ourselves from it until it is staring us directly in the face. In times past, people actually built their homes with two front doors so that when a member of the family died they could hold the wake at the home. Guests would arrive, enter one front door, make a loop around the body of the deceased, and exit through the other front door. Their entire life as a family was lived acknowledging the reality of death. Today death is pushed to the periphery. It is sequestered away in hospitals, nursing homes, and funeral homes. It is as if we know what is coming, but we want to pretend that it is not. Whether we run from it or confront it, death is the one enemy we cannot conquer, the one fact we cannot overcome. Yet Paul firmly asserts that we will not all die. Death is not the ultimate end. It is not the goal. It is not the demon from which to run and hide. The actual, ultimate, inescapable reality is this: Jesus Christ is coming! Jesus will return, raise the dead, judge between the sheep and the goats, and give everlasting life to all believers. I get the impression from this passage that Saint Paul lived his life, not expecting death, but expecting Jesus around every corner. He might not die, but Jesus will return and transform his lowly body into an immortal one. Now, by the grace of God, we can live with that eager expectation too. “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (I Thessalonians 5:4-11) We, too, should live as if Jesus were just around the corner. It should not surprise us to hear that last trumpet, to walk outside and see Jesus descending with a cry of command. (I Thessalonians 4:16) In fact, it should delight us. It should not just be expected, but eagerly anticipated. The return of Jesus means our resurrection (or transformation!) and our victory. “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57) To put it another way, Christians should not live as if we were packing up our things and getting ready to go home. Victory is not attained on some ethereal heavenly plane of existence. Victory is given to the believer here when Jesus returns and overcomes every evil, including death. We should not be packing to leave, but putting down roots to better love and serve the world around us. There is an apocryphal saying of Martin Luther. Supposedly, when asked what he would do if he knew the world was going to end tomorrow, the reformer replied, “Plant an apple tree today.” I do not know if Luther really said that, but I like the point either way. The Christian does not live his life hiding from death, nor sitting around hoping that Jesus will take us out of this world. Rather, the Christian eagerly awaits the victory that is given by Christ alone at His inevitable return. You might die. You might not. But Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, and we will all be changed from mortal to immortal, from weakness to strength. That is the ultimate reality. That you can take to the bank. You can live life eagerly expecting it around every corner. SUNDAY, March 31
First Corinthians 15:1-25 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The Preacher declares that “all is vanity.” (Eccl 1:2) Everything, from the highest spiritual pursuit to the lowest carnal pleasure, is useless. It is, as John Cougar Mellencamp wrote, “Paper in Fire.” Nothing lasts. Build a house and it will eventually fall into disrepair. Earn wealth and power and it will be spent, or mis-spent, by someone else after you are gone. Forge a life for yourself and you will still go the way of all men: you will die. Death is the great revealer. No one can cheat. Plug your brain into a computer preserving your consciousness for a thousand years. Then one day a mouse comes along, chews through the power cord, and deletes you from existence. All that ingenuity and money spent to lengthen your life is proven fruitless by the whims of a tiny rodent. From the human point of view, death cannot be avoided. It unveils our hopes, dreams, and efforts to be nothing but vain pursuits. The world around us is filled with vanity and fruitlessness. Pornography serves as a prominent example. Pursuing erotic images creates a false intimacy with a woman (or women, or men) who does not know you or care about you, and may not even be a real human being. You do not know her or care about her. You could spend hours, days, and years scrolling images and rewatching videos. Nothing will change for the good. No goals will be accomplished. No love is made. No children are begotten. In the end it will just be you alone with your device and your shame. It is vanity. The grace of God, however, is not in vain, Saint Paul rightly asserts. (I Corinthians 15:10) It was the grace of God that called Paul from the fruitless way of pursuing righteousness through the Law. Paul once believed that if he were a good Jew, the best of the Jews-which, indeed, he became (Philippians 3:4)-he would earn the favor of God. But his endeavors were vain. This vanity was revealed to him on the road to Damascus where he found himself kneeling before the only righteous and just Man, the only One who could and did earn God’s favor: the crucified, risen, and glorified Jesus Christ. Paul, nor you or I, could earn God’s favor. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, however, God’s grace and favor is poured out upon us freely and openly, transforming our lives from meaningless vanity into fruitful work. Paul was called by God’s grace out of the vain pursuit of righteousness and into the fruitful work of announcing the outpouring of God’s favor onto all people in Jesus Christ. The heroic efforts that Paul now made were not in vain because they had the command and blessing of God, but also because they were aimed at things that will truly endure forever. Paul might die, but the resurrection of Jesus means that, not only will Paul rise from the dead, but so will all who have believed his Gospel. The labor he puts into this mission is not in vain, but on the contrary, produces true fruit that will never die. In Christ, your life and labor are not in vain. (I Corinthians 15: 58) Those things that have the command and blessing of God can never be truly fruitless. Service rendered to your neighbor is not wasted time, but the gift of time given to one that Christ has spilled His blood to redeem. A man making love to his wife produces and strengthens the bond of love and, if God blesses, bears the fruit of children. Telling others about the deeds of God is not vanity, but spreads the light of the Gospel, simultaneously glorifying God-the only being truly worthy of glory and honor-and adding to the number of those who are saved. Every task, from the lowest mundanity to the highest profundity, is given immortal purpose. Your work is not “paper in fire,” but gold in fire, refined and forged by the Spirit of God. The resurrection of Jesus is not in vain. By God’s grace and favor, your life bears fruit that will last. |
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