Little sins that aren’t really little

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for Invocavit – Lent 1

2 Corinthians 6:1-10  +  Matthew 4:1-11

There is a lot of evil behavior in the world. War and bloodshed, lies and deception, adultery, violence, and injustice. It’s easy, at least for us Christians, to see Satan behind all those things, as the terrible instigator of evil in the world.

But that’s not where we find Satan in the Gospel, is it? We see the devil hard at work trying to get the Son of God to sin, but his temptations seem like nothing so terrible, certainly nothing that would cause great harm to the world. Just some seemingly minor sins directed against…God. Is that so terrible, compared to all the rest of the evil and wickedness we see in the world? Turning stones into bread? Taking a ride—literally—on angels’ wings? Bowing down for a moment before the devil, with no one else even watching? For that matter, go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Was taking a bite out of a piece of fruit really worthy of death?

But therein lies the deception, the lie propagated from the mouth of the liar since the beginning: That, as long as Satan isn’t tempting you to do the big and terrible things that cause even unbelievers to cringe, it’s no big deal to be tempted. It’s no big deal to fall into sin.

The truth is, those “little sins” committed against God, in secret, are behind all the rest. What’s more, to consider those sins against God, that don’t hurt anyone else, to be “little,” is just more evidence of the utter depravity of our race, and the utter corruption of our flesh, as if a sin against God were a small thing, while a sin against another human being—that’s the really big deal. Do you think of God as being so small? So insignificant? So harmless? The devil wants you to, because, if he succeeds at that, he’s already won.

See how the devil attacked the Son of God in the Gospel, not with the “big” temptations to do “big” sins, but with three little temptations to commit three “little” sins that would have sealed your eternal condemnation in hell, if Jesus had stumbled even a little.

First, remember the context of these temptations. It’s the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He has just been baptized by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit has just descended on Him, like a dove, and He has just heard those astonishing words spoken from heaven, This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Then we’re told that Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The devil was the one who tried to get Jesus to sin. But God was the one who arranged for the temptations to happen, not unlike the case of Old Testament Job. Jesus had truly humbled Himself when He became man. In that state of humiliation, He set aside the use of His divine knowledge and power. He relied on His Father’s Spirit-inspired Word, and was “led by the Spirit” out into the wilderness, to be tempted for 40 days, even as the people of Israel were tempted in the wilderness for 40 years.

The first temptation had to do with hunger. Jesus had fasted for 40 days. He ate nothing and drank nothing. His survival itself was miraculous, but it does say at the end that He was hungry. Now, maybe you recall that the great prophet and mediator of the first covenant, Moses, also fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, on top of Mt. Sinai. It says that he ate no bread and drank no water for those 40 days. And do you know how much hunger he suffered because of it? None, as far as we know. It appears that the Lord kept His servant Moses from suffering the bitter pangs of hunger.

But here is Jesus, the very Son of God, His “beloved Son,” for whom the Father does not provide any bread and whom the Father does allow to suffer hunger in the wilderness.

The devil tried to capitalize on Jesus’ physical weakness and suffering. If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. Such a small thing. It wouldn’t have hurt anyone, right? But what’s behind that temptation? The devil wants Jesus to be unhappy with His Father and with what His Father has provided. He wants Jesus to feel miffed that His Father was making Him suffer, to grumble and complain about this unfair treatment, and then, to step out of His state of humiliation for a moment and to pit His own divine power as the Son of God against the divine will of His Father.

Instead, Jesus threw a passage of Scripture back at the devil, It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Jesus already knew the lesson that Israel never learned. That whatever God speaks—that is right. Whatever God does—that is the definition of goodness and love.

“No,” Jesus says, “I will not complain or grumble against My Father. I won’t call Him evil. I won’t even think it. And I certainly won’t step out of this state of humiliation to provide a meal for Myself, in rebellion against My Father. If I don’t suffer as the rest of men suffer, then I am not tempted as the rest of men are tempted. And if I’m not tempted like them, then I can’t stand against temptation for them or help them when they’re tempted.” No, to do this little thing would have big consequences.

The second temptation recorded in Matthew’s Gospel has the devil taking Jesus up to a ledge high up on the temple in Jerusalem. If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

So the devil knows the Scriptures! He knows how to cite them, how to use them against people. Remember that when you hear preachers out there in other churches using the Bible and you’re tempted to think, there must not be much difference between their church and ours. They quote from the Bible! Yes, they quote from it. It was there in the devil’s foul mouth, too. Having the Word of God and teaching it correctly, in context and in harmony with the rest of the Word of God, are two different things.

Here the devil used the Word of God out of context, to try to convince Jesus, first, that He should forget the sinfulness in putting your life in danger for no good reason, and second, that it would all be fine if He jumped off the ledge, because He had the Lord’s promise to send His angels to catch Him. God will take care of you, no matter what you do.

The devil probably won’t tempt you to “jump off a ledge, it’ll be fine.” He may tempt you in similar ways: Don’t worry about studying too hard in school or working too hard at your job. God will see that you succeed at whatever you do. Go ahead and eat to the point of gluttony and obesity; God will take care of you. Watch that dirty video, do the drugs, drink too much; it’ll be OK. Stay home from church. God will provide for you. Didn’t Jesus promise that He won’t let anyone snatch you from His Father’s hand?

But Jesus knew better. It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ Jesus didn’t fall for the little lie that it’s OK to put God to the test. Neither should you!

The third temptation had the devil showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

I don’t think the devil would have much success if he stood before us and asked us to bow down to him, in return for riches and power and glory. So he doesn’t. What does he say? You can have a better life, if you just set aside God’s commandments once in a while. You can have a prosperous, fun, happy, comfortable earthly life if you just don’t worry so much about what God says. You can have that boy or that girl for a husband or wife, if you just don’t worry about the differences in your beliefs. You can have the praise of your teachers and of your classmates, if you just keep nodding your head when they tell you the earth is millions of years old, or that that boy is actually a girl. You can have a big church, if you just compromise a little on doctrine. You can have the support of your community, if you just go along with the culture in its sick praise for the mental and spiritual disorder of transgenderism, if you just concede that homosexuality is natural, sex outside of marriage is fine, abortion is good.

The devil offers much. But even if he could give you earthly happiness, which he usually doesn’t do, the devil would happily take your soul to hell at the end of the day. And then you would realize how not worth it it was to bow down to him for a moment of earthly gain, in whatever way you bowed down to him.

So repent of every sin, both “big” and “small.” And look to Jesus for salvation, who was offered far more than you could ever be offered, for just a moment on His knees before the devil. But, of course, He knew better. Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’

Jesus defeated the devil. He defeated Him with perfect faith in His Father, with perfect devotion to His Father’s will, with perfect love for His Father’s Word. Where every other man in history has fallen, Jesus is the Man—the Second Adam—who stood firm against the devil. And He did it in mankind’s place, to earn our salvation. Now we have a Champion, a Hero, the perfect Man to whom we imperfect men can flee at all times for refuge, to hide ourselves in His righteousness.

That’s what we get when we’re baptized. We get credited with the perfect record of Christ against all the devil’s temptations, instead of having to answer for all the times we’ve allowed ourselves to be led astray. And every absolution and preaching of the Gospel and every believing reception of that preaching and of the Holy Sacrament is a reapplication of Christ’s holy victory over the devil.

Now, having been brought into Christ through Holy Baptism, we are not only covered with His victory over the devil, but we are also initiated into the ongoing fight against temptation to commit both the “little” sins and the “big” ones, knowing that none are truly little.

Trust in Christ, both for forgiveness and for the strength to resist temptation and to lead a life that is truly Christian in nature. It is your calling as a Christian, as one who is to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who resisted temptation for your salvation. Use and rely on the Word of God, as Jesus did. And as He promises through His apostle: God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Amen.

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Preparation for Holy Communion

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for the First Day of Lent

Small Catechism Review: Christian Questions and Answers

You heard about fasting this evening from the prophet Jonah and from the prophet Joel, and from the Lord Jesus Himself. You know that many Roman Catholics practice some sort of fast during this Lenten season, and some Lutherans, too. You may know that yesterday, the day before the 40-day Lenten fast began, many people around the world—many of whom consider themselves devout Roman Catholics—celebrated Marti Gras, Fat Tuesday, or in South America, Carnaval. Pastor Marin explained a little bit to me about how Carnaval is celebrated in parts of Colombia. People parading through the streets naked, engaging in pagan sex rites and devil worship. People eat and drink in excess and participate in all kinds of debauchery and sin, thinking that the ashes of Ash Wednesday and the accompanying fast will wash it all away. They plan to party, and then they plan to “repent” afterward.

But planned repentance is no repentance at all. And fasting as a way to atone for sin is worse than useless, just as fasting as a way to “encounter God,” as I heard on the radio this morning, is useless.

As we discussed last week, fasting can serve a good purpose, or any outward discipline that helps you to focus on serious things, spiritual things, on the Word of God, on repentance and faith and the Christian life. But when it comes to the Lord’s Supper, it isn’t fasting that truly gets you ready. It’s faith. And how do you examine yourself, to test whether you are in the faith? For that, Luther prepared some sample questions you might ask yourself, or that the pastor might use to examine his sheep, both initially, when they become communicant members of his congregation, as we’ll do with our two confirmands, and periodically with everyone, to help his people make sure they’re approaching the Lord’s Table worthily.

Now, Luther assumes several things with the questions he prepared. He assumes that we’re talking about baptized Christians. He also assumes that these Christians have been instructed in the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the words of Baptism, and the Sacrament of the Altar. That’s exactly what we do in confirmation classes and why we have confirmation classes. And so, as we finish going through the Six Chief Parts of the Catechism, we’re finally ready to ask these questions.

Do you believe that you are a sinner?

Yes, I believe it; I am a sinner.

How do you know that?

From the Ten Commandments; I have not kept them. This is why it’s important to know and review often the Ten Commandments. Because it’s easy to say, “I’m a sinner.” We all know that to be true in theory. But to really know that you’re a sinner, you have to know what makes you a sinner. You have to have some idea how you’ve sinned against God and your neighbor. And the Ten Commandments are an excellent summary, a mirror to show you your sins.

Are you also sorry for your sins?

Yes, I am sorry that I have sinned against God. It isn’t enough to know that you have sinned; that’s not yet repentance. Many people know that they’ve sinned, and they laugh about it or joke about it, or they plan to keep on committing those same sins over and over. But the first part of repentance is contrition, sorrow over sins. Wishing you hadn’t done that thing, or said that thing, or dwelled on that sinful desire in your heart.

What have you earned from God with your sins?

His wrath and displeasure, temporal death and eternal condemnation. There’s no room here for joking or lightheartedness. Also no room for pride, no room for comparing yourself to others, no room for thinking you’re still a decent person who deserves something good from God. No, if you examine yourself rightly, then this is the answer you’ll give.

Do you also hope to be saved?

Yes, that is my hope. But why? Because you think everyone will be saved? Everyone goes to heaven? Is that where you find your hope and comfort? No.

In whom, then, do you take comfort?

In my dear Lord Christ. As the Apostle says, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Who is Christ?

The Son of God, true God and man. Not just any Jesus Christ is the object of faith, but the one revealed in Scripture as both true God and true man.

How many Gods are there?

Only one, but there are three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You don’t have to comprehend everything about the Holy Trinity. But this much at least you must know and believe if you are to approach the Lord’s Table worthily.

What did Christ do for you so that you take comfort in Him?

He died for me and shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

Did the Father also die for you?

No. The Father is God only, as is the Holy Spirit; but the Son is both true God and true Man. He died for me and shed His blood for me.

How do you know this?

From the holy Gospel, from the words of the Sacrament, and by His body and blood, given to me as a pledge in the Sacrament.

What are these words?

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread, gave thanks and broke it and gave it to His disciples and said: “Take eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the cup after supper, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying: “Take and drink of it, all of you; this cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Do you believe, then, that the true body and blood of Christ are in the Sacrament?

Yes, I believe it.

What moves you to believe this?

The words of Christ: “Take, eat, this is My body! Drink of it, all of you, this is My blood!”

What should we do when we eat His body and drink His blood and in this way receive His pledge?

We should remember and proclaim His death and the shedding of His blood, as He taught us: “This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Why should we remember and proclaim His death?

So that we may learn to believe that no creature could have made satisfaction for our sins—only Christ, true God and Man, could do that; and so that we may learn to be terrified by our sins, and learn to regard them as serious; and that we may find joy and comfort in Christ alone, and thus be saved by this faith.

What moved Christ to die and make satisfaction for your sins?

His great love for His Father, for me and for other sinners…As Paul writes to the Galatians, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Why, then, do you wish to go to the Sacrament?

That I may learn to believe that Christ, out of great love, died for my sins; and then, that I may also learn from Him to love God and my neighbor.

Are those answers your answers? If so, then you are prepared for the Lord’s Supper. If not, then you need to pause and take some time to reflect on the state of your heart, to see where and why your answers are different.

Finally, Luther adds two questions aimed at the Christian’s motivation and desire for the Sacrament—or lack thereof.

What should admonish and encourage a Christian to receive the Sacrament of the Altar often?

For God’s sake, both the command and the promise of the Lord Christ should drive him to the Sacrament; then also his own need that hangs around his neck, because of which the command, invitation, and promise are given.

But what should a person do if he can’t feel this need, or if he can’t find in himself any hunger or thirst for the Sacrament?

To such a person no better advice can be given than this: First, he should put his hand on his chest to see if he, too, has flesh and blood, and he should believe what the Scriptures say about it in Galatians 5 and Romans 6. Second, he should look around to see if he is also still in the world, and he should consider that there will be no shortage of sins and troubles, as the Scriptures say in John 15-16 and in 1 John 2 and 5. Third, he will, for this very reason, also have the devil near him, who, with his lies and murdering day and night, will grant him no peace, within or without, as the Scriptures picture him, a liar and a murderer from the beginning who goes around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

And so we do well to begin another Lenten season today, remembering that we do, in fact, have flesh and blood and all the weaknesses that go along with it, remembering that we do still live in a world that is hostile to faith and to God and to the people of God, and remembering that our enemy, the devil, always has us in his sights. So turn to the Lord again today. Seek His forgiveness in Christ Jesus and in the Sacrament Christ has given us. And receive from Him, not only the forgiveness of sins, but the strength to walk in His footsteps, abounding in love and bearing the cross with patience. Amen.

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Keep listening, keep praying, keep loving

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for Quinquagesima

1 Corinthians 13:1-13  +  Luke 18:31-43

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world, isn’t there? Even more this week than there was the week before, a lot of unknowns about the present and the future. A lot of things we don’t understand, including things in the Scriptures and things in the Church. When you can’t see the way, when the way appears dark, the Holy Spirit shows us in today’s Epistle and Gospel the simple path forward for the Christian. Keep listening, keep praying, and keep loving.

In our Gospel, Jesus is on the final leg of His journey to Jerusalem for the Passover of Holy Week. He wants His disciples to be prepared for what’s about to happen, and to understand that it all happens according to Scripture and according to the Father’s plan, and that Jesus is willingly following that plan. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that were written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be fulfilled. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon. And they will scourge him and put him to death. And on the third day he will rise again.

Now, this isn’t the first time Jesus has told them about these things. It’s at least the third or fourth time. And yet, Luke emphasizes their failure to understand. They understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not understand the things that were said. They were like blind men. They couldn’t see the way ahead for Jesus or for themselves, even with the most straightforward words of Jesus shining the light on the path. Why? Because it was hidden from them.

It was hidden from them, in part, because they had their own preconceived notions of what the Christ was supposed to do, and no matter what Jesus said, their own beliefs overcame what Jesus said. The Christ was not supposed to suffer. The Christ was not supposed to die. He was supposed to conquer. He was supposed to rule and reign. They didn’t understand that the primary purpose of the Christ was not to make the world a better place, but to make atonement for the sins of mankind through His suffering and death, that we might be reconciled to God through faith in Christ Jesus, for this fleeting life and, more importantly, for the eternal life to come.

But it was also hidden from the disciples because it had to be. Things had to work out a certain way, and so the Holy Spirit chose not to enlighten their minds yet. Not about these things. He kept them believing in Jesus. But He kept them in the dark with regard to the path forward. He allowed them to remain “blind” for the moment. All they could do, as blind men, was keep listening to Jesus, and that they did, even though they didn’t understand.

Then they encountered an actual blind man, who was begging at the entrance of the city of Jericho. Now, since blind people can’t see, what are they usually very good at? They’re good at hearing. They’re good at listening. And this blind man was no different. He listened and heard the commotion surrounding Jesus’ arrival. So he asked what it meant, and he listened to the answer. Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

But this blind man shows that he has been listening to other things, too, because he knows who this Jesus of Nazareth is. He sees better than most of the seeing people who are there. By listening to the report that had been going around about Jesus, the blind man had already come to recognize that Jesus of Nazareth is the “Son of David,” that is, the Messiah, the Christ, the promised Savior. He never saw Jesus in his life. But by listening to the word about Jesus, he was able to see the truth.

What was it the Father said to Peter, James, and John about Jesus up on the Mount of Transfiguration? This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! Listen to Him! Listen! Even when— especially when—you don’t understand where His plan is leading you. And you know where and how to listen. Don’t listen to some little voice inside your heart. Don’t listen to your own reason. Listen to the Word! Read it. Hear it. Ponder it. Set aside time for it. And don’t worry if you don’t understand everything you hear right away. Just learn from the blind man in our Gospel, and keep listening!

But the blind man didn’t only listen. Knowing full well that he was blind and that only Jesus could help, he cried out to him for help. He prayed. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! And he kept praying, even when the people around him told him to be quiet, told him his prayers were wrong, were annoying, were useless. Why did he keep praying and crying out? Because he believed that Jesus would help him to see! He believed that his prayers would be heard. Faith came by hearing.

And Jesus did help him. What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight! Your faith has saved you. Faith is what saves, not sight. Faith in Christ, faith in God who sees clearly all the time, even when we’re entirely blind. Faith cries out to God for help. Faith urges us to pray. To pray for help. To pray for mercy. To pray for sight—at least, as much sight as we need. Many mysteries have been revealed about Christ. Many mysteries remain for the Church, and for your own life as Christians. Many things won’t be revealed until the Last Day. Many things will remain shaded, cloudy, obscure. And that’s okay. Keep listening to God’s Word, and keep praying for sight.

What else? What else would God have you do, even when you can’t see the way ahead? Keep loving.

We learn listening and praying from the blind man in our Gospel. But we learn love from Jesus. The way He stopped and took time for the man in need. The way He spoke kindly to him and helped him gladly. And, of course, we hear from the Apostle Paul in today’s Epistle a beautiful description of what Christian love looks like. Love is patient. It is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not boast. It is not conceited. It does not behave indecently. It does not seek its own. It does not become angry. It does not dwell on evil. It does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Being in the dark about the path ahead, being confused or frustrated doesn’t give you the right to behave badly toward your family, toward your neighbor, toward your fellow Christian. On the contrary, you are called to keep loving at all times, with Christ Jesus Himself as the prime example. In fact, you are called, as Christians, to be characterized by love. Yes, you are to be known in this dark world as people of faith and people of hope. But just as much you are to be known as people of love—the kind of love Paul describes in the Epistle, which will continue into the next life after there is no longer a need for faith or hope. As Paul says, For now we see through a mirror, indirectly; but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part; but then I will know fully, even as I am also fully known. And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

So when you can’t see the way, when the way appears dark, or even if the Holy Spirit has granted you insight and understanding, you have the Lord’s direction. Keep listening. Keep praying. And keep loving. And know that, even when you can’t see, the Lord has no trouble at all seeing you. Amen.

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The Lord’s Supper: The worthy recipient

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for the Festival of St. Matthias

Small Catechism Review: The Lord’s Supper, Part 3

We’ve talked about what the Lord’s Supper is: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. And the benefit? The forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. And who receives the benefit? Whoever believes these words: Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Lastly, we want to consider the question: Who receives this Sacrament worthily? It’s an important question, because St. Paul writes this to the Corinthians: Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. So, Who receives this Sacrament worthily?

Fasting and bodily preparation is certainly a fine outward discipline, but he is truly worthy and well-prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” But whoever does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared. For the words “for you” require nothing but believing hearts.

Fasting and bodily preparation is certainly a fine outward discipline. You need to know why Luther talks about fasting here, and bodily preparation. At times in the Church’s history, people were required to fast before receiving Holy Communion. They were supposed to receive the Lord’s Supper on an empty stomach. If you didn’t, if you ate anything before going to the Sacrament, you were told that you were unworthy and unprepared. The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with fasting before Communion. It can be a “fine outward discipline.” Setting aside some quiet time before the Divine Service begins can also be a helpful form of discipline. Turning off the phones and the screens an hour before church starts (or Bible class) can have a similar effect. It may be a very good idea, even.

But Scripture certainly doesn’t require it for a person to be considered worthy to receive the Sacrament. Manmade rituals and formulas can never become required for any Christian to stand before God as worthy, just as our works can never make us worthy to stand before God. Only faith in Christ and His promise of free forgiveness makes a person worthy to stand before God, and, as Luther rightly says, only “faith in these words: Given and shed for you” makes a person worthy to kneel before the Communion rail to receive the body and blood of the God-Man, Jesus Christ. “For you” Christ came into the world. For you He lived a perfect life. For you He gave His body and shed His blood. For you He has sent forth His ministers into the world, to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins to you, to baptize you, to teach you to observe all things that He has commanded you, including the special Meal of His body and blood. For you He has done all these things. Everyone on earth should believe that, because it’s true for all people.

But not all people do believe it. Some openly reject that Christ has done all these things for them. Such people would never approach the Lord’s Table. Others may not know that Christ has done all these things for them. Such people should not approach the Lord’s Table. Others may know what the Gospel is and may become Christians, but there is such a thing as “unbelieving Christians,” that is, people who are Christians in name only, people who don’t actually trust in Christ Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins before God, including Christians who have fallen into mortal sin—that is, sin of which they refuse to repent. None of these should dare to approach the Lord’s Table. Why not? Because these are the ones who are unworthy. As Paul says, “they eat and drink judgment on themselves, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

So, what do we do to be as sure as we can that a person goes to the Sacrament worthily? Well, first, we teach them to examine themselves, as Paul says. “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” Do you know who God is? That’s not a simple question. It involves knowing quite a bit of background from Holy Scripture, where the true God reveals Himself to us. Do you know what God’s Law commands? Do you know and believe that you’re a sinner? Are you sorry, are you penitent for your sins? Do you know who Jesus is and what He’s done for you and what He now promises you and where and how He promises to give it? Do you believe in Him, that His body was given and His blood was shed for you? Do you believe that He is giving you His true body and blood with the bread and wine, making you a partaker in His once-for-all sacrifice for sin?

Those are examples of the questions with which a person should examine himself. Similar questions are found at the end of the catechisms I published a few years ago, prepared by Luther to help Christians examine themselves before going to the Sacrament. To help Christians get to the point that they can ask and answer those questions, we have the Small Catechism itself. And we have catechism class with the pastor, and a Confirmation rite simply to “confirm” that a person has learned enough of the Christian faith to be able to examine him or herself, and to give that person an opportunity to confess that faith before the congregation, as we hope two of our young Christians here will do in just a few short weeks.

What about those who are not members of our congregation, those who might visit our church on a Sunday morning? Are they worthy recipients of the Lord’s Supper? Well, in most cases, we don’t know. If they haven’t been examined in the faith by the pastor, the pastor doesn’t know. If they haven’t made a confession of their faith before the congregation, then the congregation doesn’t know.

In some cases, they may well be worthy recipients of the Lord’s Supper. They may know the true God, and be sorry for their sins, and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for them, and they may know and believe that Jesus’ true body and blood are given in the Sacrament. A Roman Catholic, for example, may be a worthy recipient of the Lord’s Supper in their church. Or a Lutheran who belongs to a different communion than ours may be a worthy recipient in their church. But that still doesn’t mean they should receive the Lord’s Supper here, together with us, or we in their church together with them. Why not? Because, if they belong to a different church that’s not in fellowship with ours, it’s almost certainly due to a difference in doctrine between our churches, a difference in how we confess the teachings of Christ. There’s almost certainly some doctrine of which their church says, “Christ teaches this!,” and of which we say, “Christ certainly does not teach that!” And so one of us may be right in that confession, and the other is wrong. Now, being wrong in one’s understanding and confession of certain doctrines doesn’t necessarily mean a person is no longer a Christian. It means that, in that place where they’re wrong, in that area where they believe and confess falsely, they are not following Christ. And that’s always dangerous, because all false doctrine is like leaven that eventually leavens the whole lump, as St. Paul says. All false doctrine attacks the very faith that makes a person a worthy recipient of the Lord’s Supper, even if it doesn’t destroy the faith. And so, if we believe we’re right and they’re wrong about some teaching of Christ, then, out of love for Christ, out of love for the truth, out of love for that person, and out of love for the rest of the believers here, we can’t come together visibly as one bread and one body and pretend that this or that area of not following Christ isn’t important enough to have a division over. His Word has to be that which unites us. It has to be the thing over which we will not compromise.

And so, by remaining outwardly divided in our celebration of the Sacrament, by practicing Closed Communion, we issue a simple warning in love, “Attend to those things that we confess differently! Learn what they are! Learn what the Scriptures say about them! And join us in our confession of these things before joining us in the joint confession we make in receiving the Lord’s Supper together.”

There is always more we could say about the Lord’s Supper, just as there’s always more we could say about any of the teachings of Scripture. But let this be enough for now, having reviewed all Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism. We won’t leave the Catechism entirely, though. We’re going to spend the Lenten season looking at the Table of Duties at the end of the Catechism. And next week Wednesday, which is sometimes referred to as Ash Wednesday, we’ll consider together those questions that Luther prepared to help Christians examine themselves before going to the Sacrament. May the Lord bless our study of His Word. Amen.

 

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Hear God’s Word and hear it well!

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9  +  Luke 8:4-15

I’m very glad you are all here in church this morning (or tuning in online). You took a very important step, coming to church or listening online, a step toward growing in faith and growing in love, because this is where God’s Word preached, where God the Holy Spirit comes to awaken faith and strengthen faith and empower you to live as Christians in an antichristian world. But you know, I think, that just being here in the place where the Word of God is preached is entirely useless if you’re not actually listening. And if you listen with joy and believe what you hear, but then let pressure from the world keep you from living according to your faith, then listening won’t have helped you, in the end. And if you listen now, but let yourself get distracted by all the things there are to do in the world, so that you don’t put the Word into practice, then being in church and hearing the Word will, likewise, have all been for nothing.

But, if you hear, and listen, and take to heart what you hear, if you hear God’s Word and hear it well, if you dig into God’s Word with roots that run deep, so that you can bear up under the world’s persecutions with patience, if you’re watching out for the distractions and praying for God’s help to keep from being strangled by them, then God’s Word will be fruitful in you and in your life, both for this life and for eternal life. That’s the message in a nutshell of today’s parable of the sower and the seed. Let’s take a closer look at it.

Jesus addresses the parable to the multitudes who had gathered around Him. Some had come, no doubt, out of curiosity. Some had come with malicious intentions. Some had come for healing. Some had come to hear this “good news of the kingdom” that Jesus had been preaching all over Israel. Regardless, Jesus preached the same Word of God to them all. And He has a warning for all of them, too, because simply hearing His words that day would benefit them nothing if they didn’t take this warning to heart.

So He tells them the parable of the sower who went out to sow his seed, and it fell on four different kinds of ground: Along the hardened path, where it doesn’t sprout at all, because it’s trampled or snatched away by birds. On the rocky soil, where it sprouts quickly, but is quickly scorched by the heat and withers, because it has only shallow roots. Among the thorns, where the seed takes root, but is choked by the surrounding weeds. And on the good ground, where it sprouts, grows, and flourishes.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

And yet, not even Jesus’ own disciples understood what the parable meant. That was intentional on Jesus’ part. As He says, To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. The truth was laid out for the crowds, but they couldn’t see it. Why? Because only the Holy Spirit can truly open a person’s eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of God’s Word. This truth of the sower and the seed was hidden from the multitudes for the time being, although anyone who cared to know could have asked Jesus about it, as His disciples did. And later, anyone who was willing to listen could listen to the apostles explain the parable, as Jesus explained it to them, even as we’re doing here today.

The seed is the Word of God as it’s preached. So we’re not talking about all those people out there, who never even hear the Word of God. We’re talking about people who have heard the Word of God, the Law and the Gospel. We’re talking about people in here, people who sit in pews and chairs in church or who listen to the Word at home, if they can’t make it to church.

Sometimes the Word falls on hard ground. The ground may be hard because people aren’t really listening. Or, just as commonly, it may be hard because people often come with their own preconceived notions about God, about the truth. They may have hardened their hearts with their own sin, so that the Word of God doesn’t penetrate at all through their own stubbornness and willfulness. They come with their own agenda, to defend themselves or to puff themselves up rather than to allow the word of God to expose their sin. They come with confidence in their own works, so that the word of God about the far superior works of Christ is snatched away by the devil.

Sometimes the Word falls on rocky ground, with enough good soil on top for the seed to take root, but not enough to for it to send down roots to capture the much-needed moisture. Some people do receive the Gospel of Christ gladly. They worship Jesus as their Lord with excitement. But for them, it remains superficial. They don’t dig into God’s Word. These are the people who don’t think that “doctrine” matters or that creeds are important. Just some sort of “relationship with Jesus.” But as the Lord Jesus warns, the only way for faith to survive all the hardships and persecutions that go along with being a Christian is for that initial faith to grow. Christians have to become firmly grounded in God’s Word, hear it often, ponder it, study it, and pray for the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment. Otherwise, when they’re attacked for their beliefs, when they’re attacked for being Christians, they’ll shrivel up like a plant without roots in the desert heat.

Sometimes the Word falls among thorns, among weeds. It sprouts. People believe the Word. But, you know, there’s stuff on TV or stuff on the screen, there are jobs and chores that require our attention. There are books to read, and tests to study for. There’s money to make and to invest and to save and to spend. There are friends to hang out with and families to spend time with. And the Word of God and the Christian faith and Christ Himself become just one small part of person’s life. But the Christian faith doesn’t work that way, doesn’t survive that way. If Christ and His Word become just one small part of your life, capturing just one small part of your heart, faith won’t thrive. It won’t even survive.

But then, sometimes, the Word when it’s preached falls on good ground, good soil. People hear it and listen. They listen as the Law of God convicts them of sin, without allowing any of their excuses to stand. They listen as the Gospel is preached, that Christ suffered and died for their sins and now calls them to repent and believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins. Then they ponder what they’ve heard. They go back again and again and listen. They don’t always understand everything they hear (just as Jesus’ disciples didn’t), but they keep listening anyway, trusting that their God will reveal everything in due time. They seek to put God’s Word into practice in their lives. They live in daily contrition and repentance. They pray that their hearts may not become hardened by sin or unbelief. They pray for God’s help to overcome the hardships that go alone with being a faithful Christian, the false accusations, the ridicule, the mockery, even the torture. They’re careful not to let distractions crowd out the word of God from their lives, but to order their lives around hearing God’s Word and putting it into practice, to live in faith and in love. In short, they remain planted in Christ Himself, and so they bear much fruit, with which God the Father is truly pleased.

God has already granted you ears to hear. May His Holy Spirit now work mightily through what you have heard, to preserve you in the faith and to cultivate both faith and love in your heart, that the Father may be glorified, and that you may be true disciples of Christ. Amen.

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