Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
Trinity • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
Luke 10:23-29
Luke 10:23-29
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ I have preached on the Gospel lesson before and went through the Parable several times over the last couple of years. So I would hate to belabor the point, that in this parable, the Good Samaritan is not you, but Jesus for you. What I would like to draw your attention toward is what appears to be a conflict in the Scriptures.
For you will see in our Epistle lesson in the final paragraph, it says “Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But this rich young man approaches Jesus and asks him what? What must I do to inherit eternal life? Where does Jesus point him? Certainly he would point him to faith, right?
But what does Jesus say, what is written in the Law? How do you read it? And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Then Jesus tells him He answered correctly and if he does this he will live. Well what on earth is going on? Isn’t this in conflict with what Paul says in Galatians, who says that we are to rely on faith not the Law?
This is a prime example why many people find the Bible to be difficult to understand and say that it is full of contradictions, and it is why we need to understand the Law and the Gospel. To be able to sort out these passages and understand what it is that our Lord and Savior is doing here in this text, and why Paul says that we are saved by faith. For the purpose of the Law is to show us our sins, and to reveal to us how far we have fallen away from what is good.
One thing you ought to notice about the Law of God is that there are always conditions attached to it. If the man loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind and his neighbor as himself he will live. That is a big ‘if’ and the man who asks Jesus this questions understands that. That is why he asks the next question seeking to prove his innocence and justify himself and know that God sees him as a good person, he wants to know who his neighbor is. The parable of the Good Samaritan reveals the answer anyone who is in need is your neighbor, and it includes those that he thinks of as unclean, or sinners and even samaritans.
Jesus says this in the Sermon on the mount that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you only love those who love you, you are no child of God. There are conditions with the Law. Jesus gave this Parable to the man and it was recorded for us with a purpose. To show that we are not good enough, for it is not enough that your hands be busy, it must even be your heart that must be kind and loving towards your enemies, there is to be no hate, malice, or any such thing in your heart.
If you want to justify yourself and be a good person in God’s sight, then it isn’t enough to just love those who you like, you must love those who hate you, or did you not realize that God gives food, drink, life, and breath even to those that hate Him, because they are His creation. That is why we confess that we are poor miserable sinners who deserve temporal and eternal punishment. What it means to be a sinner is that your heart is not as it should be, and you are not a good person on the inside. This is what the Law reveals to mankind that sin is not just the works of our hands, or the words we say, sin dwells in your heart.
So then why does Jesus say do this and you will live? Jesus wanted the man to realize that he couldn’t justify himself. That he did not have the ability to save himself by his works, or good conduct, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Law shows the futility of our ability to fulfill God’s Commands and makes us realize that we cannot get to heaven by what we do.
That is why Paul says ‘For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.’ There is a fancy thing that they do in Greek which is called a contrary to fact conditional which I know excites you all. All that means is that there is no law that gives us life, and we do not find righteousness that innocence through the Law. That is why the Law reveals to all people that they are sinners, and not just on the outside, but on the inside. The purpose of the Law is to make realize that we are in desperate need of help because otherwise we won’t make it to heaven.
This is where the Gospel comes in, that we might be saved by the promise of faith. This is very different than the Law, the Law always has a condition, and it tells us what to do, but the Gospel is very sweet and very pleasant for makes no demands but gives freely the gifts of heaven to sinners. It says to those who have nothing good inside of them who are poor miserable sinners in heart, mind, and soul that Jesus has opened the way to heaven for you. In fact he has done even more than that He has picked you His lost lamb, and thrown you over his shoulders that he may carry you joyfully to the home of your heavenly father. Not because you had anything to offer him or could repay him in anyway, but because of His love for you.
That is why the proud won’t be there in heaven, or those who want to ensure their place by doing good works, for look at the cross. Jesus has already gone to the cross for you. What could you add to Christ’s work? What is left for anyone to do? What can you do better than the Son of God Himself? There is nothing heaven is yours because of what Jesus has done.
This is why we want to understand the difference between Law and Gospel, and why we will be spending some time at the end of service going over these differences, we need to let the Law be the Law, that we might see our sins, and our inability and that we stop trying to build our own homemade ladders to heaven, because they won’t reach and the only thing that we do is get in the way of what Christ has done for us.
We also need the Gospel to be the pure Gospel, that makes no demands, but gives that sweet promise that is meant for sinners. That Christ has died to forgive your sins, and to justify you, that is declare you innocent by his blood because you could not justify yourself. He will lift you up out of the dirt, bandage your wounds and bring you to paradise.
If you understand these two teachings you will see that throughout the Bible this is how God deals with us. That salvation has always been given to us as a promise, it was a promise spoken to Adam and Eve, Abraham, David, and the list goes on. The Law will always show us our sin, but when you are oppressed by the Law, remember that Jesus came to die for sinners. So if you are a sinner then Jesus has come for you.
Now this is something that we as Lutherans are known for, and we don’t appreciate it as we should for we have been raised with it. Even as I was driving this last week I turned on a Christian Radio station and listened to a sermon that was nothing but Law. We need to know this difference, and the reason that we are going to spend time learning it is so we can share this wonderful news with others. For many people find the Bible confusing and difficult, and if you yourself have found it difficult, then all you need is practice in the Word.
So as we are preparing for Bible Studies and all that good stuff take a look at your calendar and ask, what time will you set aside. The Thursday Bible study is more focused and we do about a chapter a day, the Sunday Morning is a bit more relaxed and has a gentler flow with more time for questions, or perhaps you want a refresher over everything and then come Thursday night, and revisit those precious teachings. But as you grow in knowledge and wisdom of the Word, you will be able to share with those who are in need, to apply either Law or Gospel, and you will be able to and afflict the comfortable like Christ does, and comfort the afflict as Paul does.
So my brothers and Sisters in Christ, I pray that you take this heart, and that you may learn this wonderful distinction between the Law and the Gospel for our congregation benefits when we understand the difference and are in the Word. So God willing I will see you in Bible Study this fall that we may learn how we are sinners that Jesus Christ has rescued. In his name. Amen.