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The Feast of the Holy Trinity, 2013
The Hymn # 246 Holy, Holy, Holy 3:35
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Athanasian Creed p. 53
The Sermon Hymn #236 Creator Spirit 1:9
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Athanasian Creed p. 53
The Sermon Hymn #236 Creator Spirit 1:9
Water-Spirit Baptism
The Communion Hymn # 308 Invited Lord 1:63
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #261 Lord Keep Us Steadfast 1:93
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #261 Lord Keep Us Steadfast 1:93
KJV Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Pentecost Monday Gospel:
KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Trinity Prayer
O Lord God, heavenly Father: We poor sinners confess that in our flesh dwelleth no good thing, and that, left to ourselves, we die and perish in sin, since that which is born of the flesh is flesh and cannot see the kingdom of God. But we beseech Thee: Grant us Thy grace and mercy, and for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, send Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that being regenerate, we may firmly believe the forgiveness of sins, according to Thy promise in baptism; and that we may daily increase in brotherly love, and in other good works, until we at last obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
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Water-Spirit Baptism
Luther’s Trinity Sermons
KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Nicodemus is one of many examples of initial faith, where someone believed in Christ and came to Him, but with some trepidation and many misconceptions. Nevertheless, this initial faith caused Nicodemus to learn directly from Jesus and benefit from this initial conversation.
We know that Nicodemus became a steadfast follower, because he is mentioned specifically when it mattered the most.
KJV John 7:50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
KJV John 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
These two verses establish Nicodemus’ position of leadership and essential details about what he was willing to risk to give Jesus a proper burial. Faith drew him to Jesus as a timid follower. A maturing faith led Nicodemus to stand up for Jesus when his own colleagues plotted to kill the Savior. Finally, Nicodemus risked the wrath of the Roman Empire and the Jewish leaders to help in burying Jesus.
This sort of supplemental detail (only in John) suggests that many of the encounters in the public ministry of Christ led to the early establishment of Gospel centers – the apostles serving them after Pentecost and training pastors as they were trained by Jesus. Just as the Son was sent by the Father, so the apostles (literally sent) were sent by Jesus, and the early believers scattered by persecution to start over in a new area.
Nicodemus acknowledged the divine power of God rather than opposing Him and trying to trick Him. But Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, which suggests his fear of being seen and punished. The night was especially dark in those days of candle or oil illumination.
The same thing happens today, even though we live in a free country (more or less) and not in a vassal state of a great empire like Rome. I get anonymous information, yesterday a fat envelope – handwritten information at the top. No return address. No name. No signature. Believe me, I understand. Since violent murder is still against the law, the sects murder reputations and divide families.
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3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
This is the misunderstood response to Nicodemus, often used to promote the necessity of the born-again experience. In fact, this was used as a requirement for receiving Holy Communion among Pietistic Lutherans like the Augustana Swedish Lutherans in the Midwest. This even became stylized with a story and a date – “I was sitting under an apple tree when I realized my faith in Christ. I was converted and knelt down to pray.”
That is a different interpretation of this verse than the actual meaning. Jesus said, “Except a man be born from above.” In Greek this is a play on words, and Nicodemus took the secondary meaning of the word in his startled or confused response.
Would Jesus and Nicodemus speak in Greek? That was the universal language of educated people. Nicodemus was highly trained in the Scriptures, and the Greek Old Testament was widely used by Jews at that time – the Septuagint.
Needless to say, this is a Greek word-play. The main meaning is “from above” and is used repeatedly to describe Jesus. He is the One From Above.
KJV John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
KJV John 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
KJV James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
KJV James 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
There is one circumstance where the word is used for again, only because the other Greek word for again has been used (I assume). The rest of the examples are either references to Jesus or they mean “from the top down” – similar to us saying, from head to foot, for being thorough.
Therefore, Jesus is saying that we must be born through Him in order to see and understand the Kingdom of God. Apart from faith in Him, everything is blindness and confusion.
Nicodemus is starting to understand but not quite there.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Small children realize that Jesus was not saying this, so we can understand how Jesus said we should believe as a child. Nicodemus put the wrong emphasis on the Word of Jesus and responded in a humorous or appalling way, depending on how we look at it.
The apostle John was the eye-witness to these encounters, and there are several similar ones – the woman at the well, Peter having his feet washed – where the other person did not grasp the meaning and responded in a way so ridiculous that we cannot help remembering. The woman wanted to be relieved of the labor of drawing water. Peter wanted a complete wash, once he was convinced of having his feet washed.
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
This is a fine sermon, short but full of meaning. Jews baptized and they still baptize converts to Judaism. John the Baptist used baptism as the sign of repentance and faith of the coming Messiah.
Commonly baptism today is seen only as a symbol, a ritual, or ordinance. Jesus taught, “You must be born of water and Spirit.” The best way to translate this is “water-Spirit born.” The two are not separated, as the Pentecostals do, but united since the Spirit means conveying Jesus to us through the Word. Bringing His Promises and grace to us through the visible and invisible Word.
The divine Spirit-filled Word brings the Gospel of Christ to us and ignites that faith which only God can claim as His Creation.
The recent catastrophe in Oklahoma, the Moore tornado, reminds us of the power of the wind. The tornado formed almost instantly and created a giant path of destruction. The tornado could be seen to some extent by the darkening cloud lowering to earth, but the chief way to see a tornado is from the debris picked up by the vacuum of the wind.
In lesser winds, in comparison, 80 mph, 18 wheelers’ tires are lifted off the ground and tall brush is blown level with the ground only to bounce up again. The wind cannot be seen but the force of it can be.
No one sees the Holy Spirit in the Word, but its power is unmistakable. Some want to manufacture impressive signs, but what is more powerful than faith and the forgiveness of sin? What miracle is more impressive than the Real Presence in Holy Communion?
The Holy Spirit in the Gospel moves people to devote themselves to broadcasting the Word, knowing the power of God’s saving grace. Like the wind, it rose up in our lives before we looked for it, and we do not know where it will lead us, but we feel its power.
Man’s power is so much more comfortable for people, so many want that comfort, knowing they can figure everything out. That works out for bridges, mass mailings, and parking lots, but no one can predict what the Word will do.
When Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, he never imagined that he would speak up for him among the antagonistic Jewish leaders or risk his life in seeing to the burial of the executed teacher.
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Gospel is perfectly summarized in the transition to John 3:16. God’s Son came down from above to die for our sins and take us to be with Him in paradise.
This, as Luther said, requires faith in Him.
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SERMON QUOTATIONS
"But Christ was given for this purpose, namely, that for His sake there might be bestowed on us the remission of sins, and the Holy Ghost to bring forth in us new and eternal life, and eternal righteousness [to manifest Christ in our hearts, as it is written John 16:15: He shall take of the things of Mine, and show them unto you. Likewise, He works also other gifts, love, thanksgiving, charity, patience, etc.]. Wherefore the Law cannot be truly kept unless the Holy Ghost is received through faith...Then we learn to know how flesh, in security and indifference, does not fear God, and is not fully certain that we are regarded by God, but imagines that men are born and die by chance. Then we experience that we do not believe that God forgives and hears us. But when, on hearing the Gospel and the remission of sins, we are consoled by faith, we receive the Holy Ghost, so that now we are able to think aright.
Augsburg Confession, Article III, #11, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 159.
"Therefore, do not speak to me of love or friendship when anything is to be detracted from the Word or the faith; for we are told that not love but the Word brings eternal life, God's grace, and all heavenly treasures."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1411f. Ephesians 6:10‑17.
"In matters concerning faith we must be invincible, unbending, and very stubborn; indeed, if possible, harder than adamant. But in matters concerning love we should be softer and more pliant than any reed and leaf and should gladly accommodate ourselves to everything."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 412f. Galatians 2:8.
"Doctrine is our only light. It alone enlightens and directs us and shows us the way to heaven. If it is shaken in one quarter (in une parte), it will necessarily be shaken in its entirety (in totum). Where that happens, love cannot help us at all."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 414. Galatians 5:10.
"The Christian doctrine of Purgatory was not finally worked out until the sixteenth century by the Council of Trent. Rejected by Protestants, it was an exclusively Catholic doctrine. After Trent, Bellarmine and Suarez, who were responsible for Purgatory, put forth several Biblical references in support of the newly approved doctrine." [references: 2 Macc. 12:41-46; Mt. 12:31-32; Lk. 16:19-26; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; the Corinthians passage played a crucial role in the development of Purgatory, p. 43]
Jacques Le Goff, The Birth of Purgatory, trans. Arthur Goldhammar, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984, p. 41f.
"All believers are like poor Lazarus; and every believer is a true Lazarus , for he is of the same faith, mind and will, as Lazarus. And whoever will not be a Lazarus, will surely have his portion with the rich glutton in the flames of hell. For we all must like Lazarus trust in God, surrender ourselves to Him to work in us according to His own good pleasure, and be ready to serve all men."
Sermons of Martin Luther, IV, p. 24.
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