Trinity XI Sunday - Devotion in semi-Exile
Lection for Trinity XI
1 Kings3:1-15 2 Corinthians 1:1-22
A friend of mine from Connecticut, lamenting the state of our society, thought about what God would have to say to us today. He thought, "If the Lord were to speak to us in the same form as the Lord's Prayer, only in reverse, what would He say?" He wrote the following rendition of the Lord's Prayer:
My children, who art on earth,
Hollow be thy world.
My kingdom's coming,
thy will's undone,
on earth there is no heaven.
I gave you each day your daily bread,
and forgave you your trespasses,
even while you trespassed against me.
You led yourselves into temptation,
as I wanted to deliver you from the evil one.
You've despised My kingdom,
ignored My power,
and given Me no glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
These are some harsh words. Yet, if we examine them carefully, they are also too true. We look around and we can see how God's laws have been undone. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous long passages or sayings of Jesus. It is also, as a whole, perhaps one of the most misunderstood, because Jesus' words in chapters 5‑7 of Matthew contain many statements which some people have come to call "extreme" teachings or sayings. Who can keep all of Jesus' words contained there? Who could do all these things Jesus said? No one! And so, some people have turned Jesus' teachings into what they call "evangelical counsels." They explain that these are not Laws of God which He demands everyone to obey. Instead, they are like extra credit things you can do if you want to be really good and holy before God.
But that is most certainly not the case. Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." And, if we want to live by the Law, and get into heaven by keeping the Law, Jesus happily expounds that Law for us. Jesus takes up the 10 Commandments and teaches them as God intended them to be followed – not 10 suggestions, but 10 Commandments as God meant them to be from the beginning.
For example, there is the Fifth Commandment, you shall not murder. Martin Luther explained that commandment in his small catechism, "We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every bodily need." Not just murder, but any and every physical need. This instruction means more than just not doing harm, but we are to be helping our neighbor as well. In His “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus goes even further and says, if are you angry with your brother without cause, you are breaking this commandment. Do you speak an insulting word against him? You break this commandment. Do you know about something he has against you or you have against him and don't go to him to resolve it? You break this commandment.
How about the Sixth Commandment, you shall not commit adultery. Again, Martin Luther explains, "We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other." It is not just the physical act of adultery or other sexual immorality, but positively leading a sexually pure life in thought, word, and deed. Jesus takes it even further and says, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Lust in the heart is just as much a breaking of God's law as actually sleeping with someone who is not your spouse. Even lust requires repentance and forgiveness.
Thankfully, God grants that forgiveness. Forgiveness is exactly why Jesus came to earth. He came to die in your stead and mine, to take upon Himself our sins and to grant to us forgiveness. Jesus calls the world back to Himself. His Word speaks boldly to our lives today. He says, "I love you so much, I can't even tell you how much that I love you."
1 Kings3:1-15 2 Corinthians 1:1-22
A friend of mine from Connecticut, lamenting the state of our society, thought about what God would have to say to us today. He thought, "If the Lord were to speak to us in the same form as the Lord's Prayer, only in reverse, what would He say?" He wrote the following rendition of the Lord's Prayer:
My children, who art on earth,
Hollow be thy world.
My kingdom's coming,
thy will's undone,
on earth there is no heaven.
I gave you each day your daily bread,
and forgave you your trespasses,
even while you trespassed against me.
You led yourselves into temptation,
as I wanted to deliver you from the evil one.
You've despised My kingdom,
ignored My power,
and given Me no glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
These are some harsh words. Yet, if we examine them carefully, they are also too true. We look around and we can see how God's laws have been undone. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous long passages or sayings of Jesus. It is also, as a whole, perhaps one of the most misunderstood, because Jesus' words in chapters 5‑7 of Matthew contain many statements which some people have come to call "extreme" teachings or sayings. Who can keep all of Jesus' words contained there? Who could do all these things Jesus said? No one! And so, some people have turned Jesus' teachings into what they call "evangelical counsels." They explain that these are not Laws of God which He demands everyone to obey. Instead, they are like extra credit things you can do if you want to be really good and holy before God.
But that is most certainly not the case. Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." And, if we want to live by the Law, and get into heaven by keeping the Law, Jesus happily expounds that Law for us. Jesus takes up the 10 Commandments and teaches them as God intended them to be followed – not 10 suggestions, but 10 Commandments as God meant them to be from the beginning.
For example, there is the Fifth Commandment, you shall not murder. Martin Luther explained that commandment in his small catechism, "We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every bodily need." Not just murder, but any and every physical need. This instruction means more than just not doing harm, but we are to be helping our neighbor as well. In His “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus goes even further and says, if are you angry with your brother without cause, you are breaking this commandment. Do you speak an insulting word against him? You break this commandment. Do you know about something he has against you or you have against him and don't go to him to resolve it? You break this commandment.
How about the Sixth Commandment, you shall not commit adultery. Again, Martin Luther explains, "We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other." It is not just the physical act of adultery or other sexual immorality, but positively leading a sexually pure life in thought, word, and deed. Jesus takes it even further and says, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Lust in the heart is just as much a breaking of God's law as actually sleeping with someone who is not your spouse. Even lust requires repentance and forgiveness.
Thankfully, God grants that forgiveness. Forgiveness is exactly why Jesus came to earth. He came to die in your stead and mine, to take upon Himself our sins and to grant to us forgiveness. Jesus calls the world back to Himself. His Word speaks boldly to our lives today. He says, "I love you so much, I can't even tell you how much that I love you."
I invite you to take another look at the Lord's prayer and what it is saying to us. Hear what it is requesting of God. Then pray it in fervent love to your God who tenderly invites you to come to Him in prayer. And then, thank Him for not speaking the words as they are reversed above.
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