Eighth Sunday after Trinity
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My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we see in our reading that each Lessons today touches on the Office of the Holy Ministry and that this office is not one which comes from men, or by the power of men, but receives its power and authority by the Spirit of God. For indeed we hear in the book of Acts that the one who places Pastors into their office is none other than the Holy Spirit himself. So this Holy Office is one that the Church needs to tend to the needs of the flock, and that it carries with it certain qualifications that the people of God may receive the help they need in their hour of distress.
Let us focus then on these 3 points. First, where the office of the holy ministry comes from, what God has commanded pastors to do, and what our Father in Heaven warns Christians to watch out for when people teach in his name.
In our Lesson from Acts we find that St. Paul is speaking to the Church in Ephesus and he is heading down to Jerusalem, he is going to be arrested down there and it will eventually lead to him being on trial in Rome before Caesar. Now Paul knows something is coming as do the those in Ephesus when he visits, and so he says this to them as one who had been their pastor for 3 years. He then tells the Overseers, a term that in greek is episkopos, talking about the bishops of the congregations, and he says to them that they were called to that role not by the will of men, but by the Holy Spirit.
So no one is a pastor by their own power or authority but through the work of the Holy Spirit. Now you might think well couldn’t anyone just step in and say, Hey i’m a pastor. How would you then say that they are wrong? We see throughout Scripture that men are examined first, and then appointed from within the Church, there is then a laying on of hands that comes from other pastors that they might enter the office of the Holy Ministry. There are lists of qualifications that must be met for pastors to be pastors. They must be above reproach, not arrogant or quick-tempered, a drunkard, violent, or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Now if the Holy Spirit has called them to this office, but there are also expectations. For they are to proclaim to God’s people what God has spoken. That is why we have a selection of readings that I preach from each Sunday. The lectionary we follow every year covers all the teachings of Holy Scripture. Because Pastors are to speak God’s word to the people and teach them the will of God. We aren’t to teach our own beliefs, or our own opinions, but rather proclaim what God has said, and where God has not spoken we are to be silent.
Now this will make some folks upset, for when we look at God’s Word, God has spoken in two different ways, the Law which condemns us and the Gospel which forgives. A Pastor is to speak both of those things to the people of God. We are not to make it stricter than what it says, nor are we to say that those continuing in sin are forgiven.
So what does that look like? For instance the Bible does forbid drunkenness and calls it a sin, in fact a sin that will exclude a person from the kingdom of God. However it does not forbid drinking alcohol. A pastor who says that Christians don’t drink alcohol is going beyond what Scripture has taught and is following something other than the Word. It is also wrong to say that someone who is unrepentant will be forgiven on the last day. That is what Jeremiah was dealing with and why God is so angry with the prophets in the Old Testament, that he had given them His word, to speak to his people, and they didn’t. Here what the Lord says, Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’ ”
Then at the end, he says, Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD.
Pastors should therefore know the word, so that they can take up the task of teaching people the Word of God. The same challenges that faced the prophets in the days of Jeremiah are the same challenges that face us still today. Jeremiah had the Word of God sent to the King on a scroll, and it was read in the presence of the King, and after the reader would read a few columns of text, he would take a knife, cut the scroll up and throw it into the fire. So when you hear that the word of God is despised. You get the idea.
Now when we think of despising something we associate that with hate, but the hebrew also means, that they spurned, they rejected it. It also means that treated the Word of God disrespectfully or to discard it. This means that a person does not value the Word of God, they neither consult it or even when it is brought to their attention they don’t care. But what they do follow and listen to is their heart.
Goodness we read this and he could be speaking to us still today, we aren’t dealing with a King name Jehoiakim, but there many who do the very same things, who follow their heart instead of the Word. Now perhaps you are wondering why it is wrong to follow your heart or what you feel to be right. This is good for everyone of us to know why we should not follow our hearts, but the Word of God. For the world will want to know why we don’t just do whatever we feel, but are guided according to God’s Word.
It is easy to follow your heart, you don’t have to teach a kid how to do what is wrong, but you do have to teach them how to do what is right. If a pastor teaches that it is ok to follow their heart, they will be well liked by even the world.
God warns His people over and over again that they are false prophets. That is why you ought to examine and measure your pastors, but you don’t measure the success of a pastor as the world measures success, but rather by their faithfulness to the Word. This goes for me, and for every pastor that you have after me. Does he teach the Word of God, calling sinners to repent, and point the repentant to Jesus. Does he teach rightly about Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, etc. Or does he teach you to follow your heart, your desires, and when you sin say its ok to keep on doing whats wrong. If so watch out for that person, for what does Jesus say when that false prophet calls out Lord, Lord, Jesus will turn to him and say He never knew him, and if you are following that pastor, what does that mean for you? You can try to pass the blame, but it didn’t work for Adam and Eve.
This is why we pray for Pastors every Sunday, because you want a pastor that will teach the Word of God rightly. Calling sinners to repentance, but also teaching them about the grace and hope that is freely given in Jesus Christ our Lord. Because having pastors that do that is a blessing to Congregations. To bring the light of God’s word into the darkness of this world.
For you will learn that no matter what this life brings, you have Jesus who has overcome the world for you. You know where you came from, you know who created you, and you know that you have a Father in heaven who has not only watched over you from the day you were conceived, and has never abandoned you, but sent Jesus into this world to join you in your suffering and bring you through it. Our peace comes from the victory of Christ over the grave. For we know that no matter what the world brings, we’ve already won.
It is surprising when conflict arises as the Word is proclaimed. But that’s not new, think about it, Jeremiah was not well received, Paul was driven out of towns, and Jesus the best Pastor that there is and second person of the trinity, was betrayed by one of his own disciples who heard the very words of life spoken from his lips. The conflict goes back to the garden of eden where God spoke to Adam and Eve, and wherever the truth of God’s word is proclaimed the devil will work to undermine it. The devil will try to move God’s people away from the Word and persuade Christians to trust, their wisdom, their feelings, their experience instead of the Word of God, but you dear child of God, cling to the Word of the Lord for in the Word of God is life.
Now my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the only way that you can cling to the Word is if you are in the Word. We have less than half of our congregation in Bible Study and if we as Lutherans are known for Sola Scriptura, that’s not good. We are going to be picking up in a wonderful book this fall, and I would urge you set aside the time either on Sunday Morning to hear the Word, or on Thursday. I know it is nerve wracking the first time, but it is worth it. For you will learn the Word of God and grow in knowledge of God’s holy word. That way when we stand before Christ, He will look at us and welcome us home. In Jesus name. Amen.