December 8 2021

 

Wednesday December 8th 2021

Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11 (1-4)  

Gospel: Luke 1:57-80

Catechism Reading: Second Article, Large Catechism, par. 25-29

Sermon Text: Large Catechism  

Sermon Title: “Christ, Our Lord”

Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Tonight, we continue our study of the person and work of Christ Jesus our Lord from the Second Article of the Creed and as discussed in Luther’s Large Catechism; which we read from earlier. In his sermon on this article, (for the Large Catechism is a series of sermons on the Small Catechism) Luther hones in on the idea of Jesus Christ as our Lord and what it means to confess, “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord”. (Small Catechism, WDTM, 1st paragraph) We will get to that momentarily.

Last Wednesday, we focused on the person of Christ; what is called the “personal union”; and how the divine and human natures have been united ever since God became man in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Tonight, I want to start by speaking of why it is necessary for Jesus to be both true God and true man.

A couple of questions from the Small Catechism, ask and answer these questions directly. First; “Why was it necessary for our Savior (Jesus) to be true man? Christ had to be true man in order to act in our place under the law and (perfectly) fulfill it for us”. (This is called His active obedience.) (S. C. # 122 A.) Saint Paul describes this is several places saying “God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption”. (Galatians 4:4-5) And “by one man’s obedience, (Meaning Christ) many will be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19b)  

Christ also had to be true man to “be able to suffer and die for our guilt because we failed to keep the law”, in fact could not keep the law perfectly. (This is called His passive obedience.) (S. C. # 122B.) St. Paul declared, “Christ has now reconciled you in His body of flesh, by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” (Colossians 1:22) “He made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God” (2nd Corinthians 5:10) “Christ redeemed us from the law by becoming a curse for us”. (Galatians 3:13) “In Him, we have redemption through His blood”. (Ephesians 1:7a)  

The author of Hebrews also wrote, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22); and “though His death, (Christ) destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is the devil; and to deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” to sin. (Hebrews 2:14b-15) And “by means of His own blood … He secured an eternal redemption … offering Himself without blemish to God … (Hebrews 9:12b, 14b)  

Second, the question is asked, “Why was it necessary for our Savior to be true God? Christ had to be true God, in order that His fulfilling of the law, His life, suffering and death might be a sufficient ransom for all people”. (S. C. # 123 A.) The Psalmist confirms this saying “No man can ransom another or give to God the price of his life”. (Psalm 49:7) Paul again testified, “Christ Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1st Timothy 2:6a).  

Christ also had to be God in order that “He might be able to overcome death and the devil for us”. (S. C. # 123 B.) Again, we hear from St. Paul; “Our Savior Christ Jesus … abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel” (2nd Timothy 1:10) and “Death is swallowed up in victory … Thanks be to God who gives us the victory (over sin, death, and devil) through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (1st Corinthians 15:54, 57) “Christ was delivered up for our trespasses and raised (bodily from the dead) for our justification”. (Romans 4:25)  

Now, in the reading from the Large Catechism, Luther focuses on the words “I believe in Jesus Christ our Lord” and asks “What does it mean “to become a Lord”? It means that Jesus has “redeemed me (purchased and won me) and released me from sin, devil, death, and all misfortune. As we confess in the baptismal liturgy, “we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as His own … We would be lost forever unless delivered from sin, death, and everlasting condemnation”. (LSB, page 268)  

As Luther said, “we were under God’s wrath and displeasure … this is what we have merited and deserved” from our Lord. “There was no counsel, no help, no comfort for us until this only and eternal Son of God, (Our Lord Jesus Christ) in His unfathomable goodness, had mercy on us because of our misery and distress, and came from heaven to help us”. (Large Catechism, par. 29) As our loving creator, He had compassion on us; “God so loved the world”. (John 3:16a)

As we read in Paul’s letter to the Colossians last week, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness (Satan’s Kingdom) and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”. (Colossians 1:13-14) Because our Lord Jesus humbled Himself to become man and “became obedient unto death, even death on a cross … God has bestowed on Him, the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and very tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord”. (Philippians 2:8b-11a)

Then, in the Gospel for this evening, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, rejoiced at the birth of his first-born son, but also, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he also rejoiced in the long-promised Christ that John would bear witness to. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and raised up a horn of salvation for us … to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, according to the tender mercy of our God … to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death”. (Luke 1:68-69a, 77-78a, 79a)  

As Isaiah the prophet also proclaimed about our Lord Jesus; and we know this because, He applies these verses to Himself in Luke chapter 4; “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor, He has sent Me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”. (Isaiah 61:1-2a) “He has clothed me with the garments of (His) salvation; He has covered me with the robe of (His) righteousness”. (Isaiah 61:10b)

Jesus read these verses in the synagogue at the beginning of His ministry, saying “today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”. (Luke 4:21b) This He accomplished for us by His perfect life, atoning death on the cross (for the forgiveness of sins) and His bodily resurrection on the third day. As Luther wrote, Christ Jesus our Lord, “has given Himself completely to us, withholding nothing”. (L. C., Second Article, par. 26)  

Our Lord Jesus continues to provide all that we need for the physical needs of this body and life as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer; “give us this day, our daily bread”. Even more importantly, He provides for all of our spiritual needs, giving us the gifts of forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life that He won for us on the cross; which He does in His means of grace, in Word and Sacrament.  

In review then, one final question from the Small Catechism this evening; “What does it mean to confess, I believe in Jesus Christ? It means that I … trust in Jesus Christ (my Lord) as my only Savior from sin, death, and the devil and believe that He alone gives me eternal life”. (S. C. Second Article, Question # 117) As our Lord Jesus Himself declared/promised; “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life”. (John 3:36a) Amen.  

We will conclude our study on the Second Article of the Creed, next Wednesday, with the second part of the explanation.  

December 12/15

Catechism Reading

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead … who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own, live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness; just as He is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity.

Paragraphs 30-31 from Large Catechism …