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spent2004
Living In the Forgiveness
of Sins
Text:
Luke 17:1-10
Date: Pentecost XX
10/17/04 crack mirk 6.12
What
we're here to receive this morning is the forgiveness of our sins.
It's not as if we've never received forgiveness before this. It's
not that we won't need to receive forgiveness next Sunday, tomorrow,
later this afternoon or even as soon as this Divine Service is over.
It's that, because Christians live in this world as saints and sinners
at the same time, our old, sinful nature still hanging on, at war
with the new nature we have received as citizens of heaven, the
forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ is something we receive not
only once but continually, living IN the forgiveness of sins until
that Day when there will be no more sin or death.
Forgiveness
is what it's all about. Without the forgiveness, the taking away,
the disarming of our sin there is no Gospel, no Good News, no hope.
That's why the release from that which condemns, kills and damns
us is the most important and true miracle that Christ came (and
continues to come) to deliver, to give as a free gift of God's grace.
So important is our receiving and our sharing of forgiveness that
it finds a central place in the Lord's Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,” and in the Creed,
“I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” So important is the living
in and the dispensing of the forgiveness of sins that today we hear
Jesus' most severe warning to his disciples and specifically the
Twelve Apostles, those who would continue to be his ministers; the
warning never to withhold forgiveness except in the most severe
cases, and then only for the goal of forgiveness.
Jesus
began, back in chapter 16 speaking to the grumbling Pharisees, reaching
out to them in hopes that they would wake up to their true need.
Then his words were aimed primarily at his disciples, though the
Pharisees were still listening in. Today, however, he speaks words
only for disciples and then that inner group of disciples, the Twelve
Apostles. These are words concerning not only their own faithful
following, but concerning their ongoing task his ambassadors, witnesses,
teachers, preachers and ministers.
First
he says to all his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come,
but woe to the one through whom they come!” The temptations to sin
he has in mind are not the temptations to gross or crass sins (though
I suppose these words apply to any sins), but specifically with
regard to the disciples' witness, confession of faith, teaching
and preaching about Jesus. Remember the primary application of the
Eighth Commandment on bearing false witness and the First Petition
of the Lord's Prayer with regard to profaning God's name by misrepresenting
him, teaching or preaching contrary to God's Word. The “temptations”
or stumbling block he has in mind here is anything that may turn
someone to another supposed way of salvation that does not embrace
Jesus. The temptation here is apostasy. As possessions and the love
of power overcame Judas so that he apostatized, so the disciples
as future leaders in the church are to exercise extreme caution
in their confession of faith, their witness, preaching and teaching
so that those in their care may not be led into apostasy, that is,
the renunciation of faith or abandonment of loyalty to Christ.
You
know, Lutherans strike people as a little strange! Some fear or
criticize us because we look, act and sound “too catholic,” as they
say. But the more prevalent danger today is not our faithfulness
to our catholic roots. It is the blending in with the reformed,
protestant, and modern evangelical crowd. I've written a critique
for our next newsletter of Rick Warren's currently popular book,
“The Purpose-Driven Life” specifically to warn our members of the
false teaching it contains as it hopelessly confuses Law and Gospel,
emphasizing human works over against the free gift of salvation
through the obedience and victory of Christ for us and for our salvation.
For I truly fear that, as we are seeing the book and program nose
its way into even some of our own Lutheran churches, people will
be led astray, even to apostasy, from our unity of faith in the
Gospel in all its articles. Not to “preach the word; be ready in
season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete
patience and teaching” as Saint Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy
[2 Tim. 4:2 (ESV)] would be just as unfaithful and dangerous as
speaking any false doctrine.
“Pay
attention to yourselves!” says Jesus. In the same way the Apostle
Paul also wrote to Timothy, “Follow the pattern of the sound words
that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ
Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit
entrusted to you” [2 Timothy 1:13-14 (ESV)]. And the main thing
is dispensing Christ's forgiveness. “If your brother sins, rebuke
him,” that is, call him to repentance with the application of the
Law of God, “and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against
you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying,
‘I repent,' you must forgive him.” This Divine Must does not apply
as much to deliberate sins that the person knows full well are obviously
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