LESSON: ROMANS 10:14‒17

Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. John 4:50

If Jesus had told this man previously that his son was living, he could not have believed it. But now he does believe it. The Word bursts into his heart and stirs up a different faith in him so that he becomes another man. To meet the greater shock which he received, the Lord gave him greater strength. Now he must cling to what he does not see. Previously, he did not believe that Christ had the power to help his son without seeing him or going to him.

It requires quite a strong faith for a man to believe in his heart what he does not see or comprehend, something that is contrary to his understanding and reason, and to cling to the Word alone. Nothing shows its face here. He has recourse to nothing at all but to believe.

In faith one must put everything out of one’s sight except the Word of God. Anyone who lets his eyes stray anywhere else is already lost. Faith clings alone to the pure and simple Word; it will not take its eyes off the Word. It sees nothing else but the Word and knows nothing at all of its own works and merits. If the heart is not bared to faith in this way, all is lost.

Faith clings to the Word of God alone and so remains a living reality, for the Word is always a living reality. Hence, he who clings to the Word lives and abides forever, because the Word lives and abides forever.

SL.XI.1766, 12‒13
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: Lord, You want our faith at all times to be simple and pure. Grant us Your Holy Spirit to bring us to such a pure and simple faith, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 20:26‒29

Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” John 4:48

We have mentioned the outstanding faith of this royal official and pointed out that Jesus was pleased with his faith. How does this agree with what we read here? If his faith and confidence brought this official to Jesus, why does Jesus now say to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe”? He wants to show this man that his faith is not yet strong enough; he still wants to see and experience the presence of Christ.

Christ also reprimanded the disciples in the ship when the storm came upon them, saying, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26). It is as though He meant to say to them, “Where is your faith now?” Therefore, no matter how good and upright faith is, it is bound to fall short in a moment of crisis if it is not exercised and developed.

You must never think that it is enough to begin to believe. You must always exercise a very watchful care to remain established in faith; otherwise, it will decline. You must take precautions to retain the treasure which you have obtained. The devil is always using his cunning and power to tear this treasure from your heart.

The increase of faith is as strong as its beginning, and probably even stronger. But it is all God’s work. Like infant milk, faith at first is sweet and small. When some real blasts arise and assail faith, God must strengthen it; otherwise, it will not stand up to the blows. It is Christ’s intention here to strengthen this official’s faith with the remark. “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

SL.XI.1764,8‒9
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: Strengthen our faith, O Lord, so that with our whole hearts we trust in the promises and assurances of Your Word and saving Gospel, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 4:13‒25

At Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. John 4:46‒47

Scripture teaches that there must be increase and progress in faith. It is quite true that you have Christ by faith, even if your treasure is wrapped only in a poor piece of cloth. But you must still make an effort to retain it and not lose it.

This royal official, whoever he was (I think he was a servant of King Herod), had advanced so far in his faith that he believed that if only he could persuade Jesus to come to his house, his son would certainly receive all the help he needed. He had heard the Gospel concerning Christ, namely, that he was ready to help everyone who was brought to Him and refused His goodness to no one. This good news his faith grasped; it compelled him to go to Jesus. If he had felt in his heart that no one could really be certain that Jesus would help him, he would not have come to Him. It is quite certain that prior to this he had made up his mind and firmly believed that Jesus would help him.

It is the nature and character of faith to build up a picture in a man’s heart which reflects the goodness of Christ. The write of Hebrews says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1), that is, of good things hoped for from God. The faith of this man is of such a kind that if he had continued in it he would certainly have been saved thereby. The Lord was certainly pleased with this man’s faith.

SL.XI.1764,6‒7
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You have given us countless examples of the riches of Your goodness toward us in Your holy Word and especially in Your Gospel. Grant us at all times steadfastness of faith and trust, that we may always believe Your promises and assurances with our whole hearts, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 4:47‒54

One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Ephesians 4:5

You are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

This Gospel sets before us an example of faith. St. John reminds us in no less than three places that this official believed in Jesus. We can easily understand, therefore, how someone might feel inclined to ask what kind of faith this man had, seeing that the evangelist seems to make so much of it. We have said so much about faith and the Gospel in our sermons, that I think we should understand it very well. But because it tends to crop up again and again, we must look at it quite frequently.

In the first place, as I have frequently stated, faith, through the Gospel, brings the whole of the Lord Jesus Christ to men with all His blessings. One Christian has just as much as any other Christian. A child baptized today has no less than St. Peter and all the saints in heaven. We are all alike in faith. One man has the treasure as fully and completely as another man.

This Gospel also speaks of the increase of faith. This, it would seem, introduces differences in faith. Although faith enjoys Christ and all His blessings fully, it must always be cultivated and practiced so that a man becomes quite sure of it and holds fast to his treasure. Here there is a difference between two positions, between the man who has something and the man who takes a good hold of it, that is, between a strong faith and a weak faith.

A treasure as great as the one offered to us in the Gospel must be grasped firmly and kept so that it is not lost carelessly or taken away from us. The treasure is certainly mine even if it is wrapped up in a poppy leaf, but it is not as well kept as when it is locked in an iron chest.

SL.XI.1762,1‒3
AE. 79:225-232

PRAYER: We thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for the mercy and grace You have shown us in bestowing upon us all the blessings of Your kingdom. Keep us ever mindful of the treasures that we enjoy in Your kingdom, and grant that we ever cling to them with all our heart, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: ACTS 5:1‒11

“Everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.” Matthew 22:4

“Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? Matthew 22:12

In order to provide guests for the marriage feast, the king’s servants must never cease to continue with their proclamation, inviting all whom they meet to come to the marriage feast. The king wants a full table at this feast. The most important, holy, and mighty people who were invited first would not come. As Luke tells the parable, the king then sent out his servants to invite “the poor and maimed and blind and lame” (Luke 14:21). These are the heathen, who were not numbered among God’s chosen people, had nothing about which to become presumptuous, and were quite glad to accept the invitation extended to them.

On inspecting the guests, the king found a scoundrel amongst the crowd, sitting at the table, whom he quickly recognized and condemned. He did not have a wedding garment. He had not come to this marriage out of any feeling of respect, but to disgrace the bridegroom and the king who had invited him. By this man is indicated those who are numbered among true Christians, who hear the Gospel and are to be found in the external fellowship of the Church but who merely make a pretense of accepting the Gospel in hypocrisy.

Here we see that the Church on earth, considered according to its external fellowship, is a congregation of such as hear the true teaching of the Gospel of Christ, and believe and confess it. They also have the Holy Spirit who sanctifies them and works in them through the Word and Sacrament. Among these, however, there are still to be found some false Christians and hypocrites.

SL.XI.1759,29‒30
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Lord God, You have told us very clearly in Your Word that only the pure in heart will see You. Give us such singleness of heart and mind that we may always serve You in spirit and truth, without any hypocrisy, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6‒13

This is a great mystery, and I take it to mean Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:32

It is always our own old Adam, the corrupted nature of man, which prevents our heart from fully recognizing the joy and consolation which should be ours as members of Christ’s kingdom. It is, and in some respects remains, a mystery, a secret, hidden, deep, concealed, and incomprehensible. That is also why Paul calls all this “a great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32). But it is nevertheless something great, excellent, and wonderful.

It is something mysterious, not only to the blind, foolish world which never even thinks of these high spiritual matters and does not understand them, but also to the beloved apostles and outstanding Christians who find that there is quite enough to learn and to believe. No matter how long they concern themselves with these matters, preach about them, and search them out, they are compelled to confess that there is a mystery in these matters for them in this life. Even St. Paul speaks quite freely about the limitations imposed on his understanding by the weakness of his flesh. He says, “I am carnal, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions” (Romans 7:14‒15). David, too, raises complaints in many of his psalms. But there will be no mysteries in the future life, where we shall see without any coverings or darkness, and live in eternal joy.

In this present life, it can still remain in some respects a hidden, concealed spiritual marriage which one cannot see with one’s eyes or grasp with one’s reason. Only faith can grasp these matters, faith which clings to the Word alone which tells us about these things and which we may be able to grasp only weakly here because of the perversity of our flesh.

SL.XI.1753,14
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: There are many things in Your Word, especially in Your Gospel of salvation, heavenly Father, which are mysteries and beyond our understanding. Give us at all times the faith to accept Your Word and to believe it with our whole heart, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: PHILIPPIANS 4:4‒7

“Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22

We must learn to accept and to believe the Word. Christ Himself proclaims this Word to us, and God has commanded us to believe it as the truth. To reject this Word is tantamount to calling Christ a liar. We must learn to believe and trust the Word despite what our feelings may be inclined to suggest to us.

If you are to believe the Word, you cannot cling to what your own thoughts or feelings may suggest. You must cling to God’s Word, no matter how little you actually feel or experience it. If you are a person who realizes his need and wretchedness, and have a hearty desire to participate in the consolation and love of Christ, give your ears and heart to Christ. Take hold of the comforting picture presented in the Gospel (Matthew 22:1‒14), in which He shows that He wants you to acknowledge Him and believe in Him. You can be sure, He has an even deeper love and concern for you than any earthly bridegroom has for his beloved bride. On the other hand, He expects such a heartfelt confidence and joy from you towards Himself that it exceeds that of any bride for her bridegroom.

We could all probably find any amount of cause here to reprehend our unbelief and declare, “If such warm, heartfelt confidence and joy can be found between a bride and bridegroom, after all a rather insignificant and transient matter, why do I not find greater joy in my godly and faithful Savior Christ, who gave Himself for me as my very own possession? What a wretched thing this unbelief is! It keeps my heart from being full of laughter and eternal joy.”

SL.XI.1752,13
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Lord, remove from us all diffidence, lukewarmness, and unbelief, and confirm us in the full joy of salvation, which is always ours in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 19:1‒6

Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body. Ephesians 5:28‒30

The love of a man and woman in marriage is a parable or a picture of the great, hidden, but wonderful union of Christ with His Church. All believers are members of that Church, and, as St. Paul says, they are members of Christ’s body (Ephesians 5:30), of His flesh and bones, as in the beginning, at the creation, the woman was taken from the man.

What a great, unfathomable, and unspeakable love God must have for us for the divine nature thus to become united with us and merged with our flesh and blood, for God’s Son truly to become one flesh and one body with us and to receive us into such a lofty status! He is not merely content to become our brother; He also becomes our bridegroom, turns to us and gives us as our very own possession all His divine blessings, wisdom, righteousness, life, strength, and power. Yes, we are even destined to become “partakers of the divine nature,” as St. Peter declares (2 Peter 1:4). All this He wants us to believe.

We have had this great honor and many blessings conferred upon us so that we should joyfully and in all confidence take comfort in this Lord like a bride in her bridegroom’s property and honor. Christ’s Christendom is, therefore, wife and queen in heaven and on earth; for she is called the bride of God who is Lord of all the creatures. In the highest manner possible, He gives authority and power over sin, death, the devil, and hell.

SL.XI.1750,8
AE. 79:213-223

PRAYER: Thanks and praise be Yours, O Lord, for the wonderful love You have shown to us and bestowed upon us in the gift of Your Son. May we ever maintain the tie of love which unites us with Him, and experience all the joys of full and free salvation in His name. Amen.