1 00:00:01,633 --> 00:00:03,300 In the name of Jesus. 2 00:00:05,066 --> 00:00:07,566 Lutheran Service Books says today is the 3 00:00:07,566 --> 00:00:10,166 commemoration of Johannes von Staupitz. 4 00:00:11,233 --> 00:00:13,600 Johannes von Staupitz lived at the time 5 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:15,800 of the Reformation, but Johannes von 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:16,466 Staupitz 7 00:00:16,466 --> 00:00:19,033 remained an avowed Roman Catholic his 8 00:00:19,033 --> 00:00:20,000 entire life. 9 00:00:20,533 --> 00:00:22,700 Should Lutherans really be commemorating 10 00:00:22,700 --> 00:00:23,266 this man? 11 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:25,300 Yes. 12 00:00:28,533 --> 00:00:32,233 I pray that each of you has a Father 13 00:00:32,233 --> 00:00:36,666 Confessor. If you do not, whether you are 14 00:00:36,666 --> 00:00:39,966 a regent or a student or a professor or 15 00:00:39,966 --> 00:00:43,566 an administrator, whatever your vocation, 16 00:00:45,433 --> 00:00:49,866 find a Father Confessor. If you don't 17 00:00:49,866 --> 00:00:54,766 have one, talk to me after the service. 18 00:00:55,066 --> 00:00:57,566 I'm serious about this. I have some 19 00:00:57,566 --> 00:01:00,633 recommendations for how to find one, like 20 00:01:00,633 --> 00:01:05,200 don't go to your BFF and ask them to be 21 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:10,066 your Father Confessor. I will admit that 22 00:01:10,066 --> 00:01:14,633 my spiritual health would be far stronger 23 00:01:14,633 --> 00:01:17,633 had I spent far more time 24 00:01:17,633 --> 00:01:20,566 with my Father Confessor over the years. 25 00:01:20,566 --> 00:01:23,433 Martin Luther had a Father Confessor. 26 00:01:24,833 --> 00:01:27,766 You probably already know that during his 27 00:01:27,766 --> 00:01:29,833 monastery years that Father 28 00:01:29,833 --> 00:01:32,666 Confessor's name was Johannes von 29 00:01:32,666 --> 00:01:36,166 Staupitz. You know that if you have had 30 00:01:36,166 --> 00:01:38,533 your Reformation class or if you just 31 00:01:38,533 --> 00:01:40,800 read the heading at the top of the 32 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,433 service order today. Luther despised 33 00:01:44,433 --> 00:01:48,333 confession during his monastery years 34 00:01:48,333 --> 00:01:51,166 because every time he went to confession 35 00:01:51,166 --> 00:01:53,733 he realized that he hadn't fixed the 36 00:01:53,733 --> 00:01:54,500 problem. 37 00:01:56,133 --> 00:01:59,933 How about you? Would you say that your 38 00:01:59,933 --> 00:02:03,866 piety meter has been inching steadily 39 00:02:03,866 --> 00:02:07,033 upward over time? Would you say, you 40 00:02:07,033 --> 00:02:10,666 know, I love the Lord my God far more now 41 00:02:10,666 --> 00:02:11,300 than 42 00:02:11,300 --> 00:02:15,033 I did say five years ago and I see that 43 00:02:15,033 --> 00:02:19,033 my selfishness is declining, my care for 44 00:02:19,033 --> 00:02:22,433 other people is increasing, I have 45 00:02:22,433 --> 00:02:26,400 conquered that problem of lust and now 46 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,500 always I'm able to defend others, speak 47 00:02:29,500 --> 00:02:32,766 well of them, and explain everything in 48 00:02:32,766 --> 00:02:36,333 the kindest way. I suspect you're like me 49 00:02:36,333 --> 00:02:39,566 and you see that you are constantly 50 00:02:39,566 --> 00:02:45,000 backsliding. You are like Luther and you 51 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:50,333 realize you can't fix the problem. So 52 00:02:50,333 --> 00:02:52,766 when you're hearing confessions, those of 53 00:02:52,766 --> 00:02:55,200 you who are pastors or will be pastors, 54 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,733 I do not recommend that you talk about 55 00:02:58,733 --> 00:03:02,766 yourself during confession. Confession is 56 00:03:02,766 --> 00:03:06,866 not about the confessor. But Johannes von 57 00:03:06,866 --> 00:03:10,766 Staupitz realized there was a time to 58 00:03:10,766 --> 00:03:13,066 break that rule and Martin Luther 59 00:03:13,066 --> 00:03:16,033 remembered for the rest of his life when 60 00:03:16,033 --> 00:03:19,800 Staupitz broke that rule. I know he did 61 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,933 because he writes about it several times. 62 00:03:26,633 --> 00:03:30,600 Staupitz looked at Luther and he said, 63 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:35,000 over a thousand times I lied to God when 64 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,566 I promised him that I was going to 65 00:03:38,566 --> 00:03:41,933 improve my piety and I didn't. 66 00:03:49,233 --> 00:03:51,866 Staupitz realized he couldn't fix the 67 00:03:51,866 --> 00:03:54,666 problem of sin inside of him. Neither 68 00:03:54,666 --> 00:03:58,066 could Luther, neither can you, neither 69 00:03:58,066 --> 00:04:01,566 can I. In the end, Father Staupitz said 70 00:04:01,566 --> 00:04:02,000 to 71 00:04:02,100 --> 00:04:07,066 Brother Luther, once you've confessed, 72 00:04:07,066 --> 00:04:12,133 quit looking at yourself. Look at the 73 00:04:12,133 --> 00:04:15,966 wounds of Jesus. Look what your Lord 74 00:04:15,966 --> 00:04:20,466 Jesus has done for you. And Luther said, 75 00:04:20,766 --> 00:04:26,000 had it not been for Dr. Staupitz, I would 76 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:30,733 have sunk in hell. Staupitz pointed 77 00:04:30,733 --> 00:04:33,766 Luther to Jesus. Luther pointed the 78 00:04:33,766 --> 00:04:37,233 church to Jesus. The Reformation began 79 00:04:37,233 --> 00:04:41,033 and part of its prompting was a Roman 80 00:04:41,033 --> 00:04:45,033 Catholic who was a faithful pastor to 81 00:04:45,033 --> 00:04:51,900 Martin Luther. He learned what we learned 82 00:04:51,900 --> 00:04:57,566 from 1st John chapter 1. Look at 83 00:04:57,566 --> 00:05:01,466 yourself. See the filth inside of you. 84 00:05:01,466 --> 00:05:05,533 Confess. Then stop looking at yourself 85 00:05:05,533 --> 00:05:15,900 and look to your Lord Jesus. If we say we 86 00:05:15,900 --> 00:05:26,766 have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the 87 00:05:26,766 --> 00:05:28,760 truth is not in us. You can live as if Adam and Eve syndrome 88 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:30,300 is not killing you. But if you are a professor, your 89 00:05:30,300 --> 00:05:33,533 students know better. If you are a 90 00:05:33,533 --> 00:05:35,866 student, your professors know better. If 91 00:05:35,866 --> 00:05:38,033 you are a regent or a staff member, 92 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:42,233 whatever your vocation, your husband, 93 00:05:42,233 --> 00:05:46,266 your wife, your children, everybody 94 00:05:46,266 --> 00:05:49,233 knows better. And especially the Judge of 95 00:05:49,233 --> 00:05:52,166 the Universe knows the truth about what 96 00:05:52,166 --> 00:05:58,666 is in your heart. So you can come to 97 00:05:58,666 --> 00:06:06,066 confession today rather callously as if 98 00:06:07,866 --> 00:06:10,633 you don't really need this as much as a 99 00:06:10,633 --> 00:06:13,666 lot of other people do. But you will only 100 00:06:13,666 --> 00:06:17,566 be deceiving yourself, lying to yourself. 101 00:06:20,966 --> 00:06:25,900 Look at yourself. See the filth. Confess 102 00:06:25,900 --> 00:06:31,233 it. Then look outside yourself because if 103 00:06:31,233 --> 00:06:34,633 you look inside yourself, look to your 104 00:06:34,633 --> 00:06:37,666 change of life to see if you are 105 00:06:37,666 --> 00:06:43,533 impressive, acceptable to God, you are 106 00:06:43,533 --> 00:06:49,666 going to despair. If we say we have no 107 00:06:49,666 --> 00:06:53,166 sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth 108 00:06:53,166 --> 00:06:57,033 is not in us. But if we confess our sins, 109 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,033 God who is faithful and just will forgive 110 00:07:01,033 --> 00:07:03,866 our sins and cleanse us from all 111 00:07:04,766 --> 00:07:08,300 unrighteousness. Do you realize what you 112 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:12,066 just said? He will forgive your sins. For 113 00:07:12,066 --> 00:07:14,933 those of you who are blessed to be Greek 114 00:07:14,933 --> 00:07:17,866 nerds, that's a phi-a-mi, that word for 115 00:07:17,866 --> 00:07:21,333 forgive. And perhaps you know the root 116 00:07:21,333 --> 00:07:24,866 meaning is to leave something behind. 117 00:07:26,233 --> 00:07:29,466 When you come to confession today, you 118 00:07:29,466 --> 00:07:33,133 are going to leave your guilt behind. You 119 00:07:33,133 --> 00:07:36,266 cannot drop your guilt just anywhere. 120 00:07:36,266 --> 00:07:39,766 That would be littering. Put your guilt 121 00:07:39,766 --> 00:07:43,866 in the proper receptacle. Hand it to your 122 00:07:43,866 --> 00:07:46,900 Lord Jesus. He is the reason 123 00:07:46,900 --> 00:07:52,366 that your God is faithful and just. Just. 124 00:07:52,366 --> 00:07:57,566 He is just when he says your guilt is 125 00:07:57,566 --> 00:08:01,800 damnable. He is just when he says that 126 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:06,133 damnation has already been taken care 127 00:08:06,133 --> 00:08:08,866 of when Jesus was damned on the cross in 128 00:08:08,866 --> 00:08:11,600 your place after he took the blame for 129 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,000 what you have done. And that is the 130 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,866 reason that God is faithful as well as 131 00:08:18,866 --> 00:08:21,266 just. Faithful. He keeps his promise, 132 00:08:21,266 --> 00:08:24,000 including his promise, that the blood of 133 00:08:24,233 --> 00:08:27,900 Jesus, his son, cleanses you from all 134 00:08:27,900 --> 00:08:31,766 unrighteousness. Cleansing. Ooh, that 135 00:08:31,766 --> 00:08:35,166 sounds like baptismal language. When you 136 00:08:35,166 --> 00:08:38,566 hear the words, I forgive you all your 137 00:08:38,566 --> 00:08:41,700 sins. That is your Lord Jesus plunging 138 00:08:41,700 --> 00:08:45,166 you back into his baptismal water so you 139 00:08:45,166 --> 00:08:49,100 come out coated again in Jesus, in his 140 00:08:49,100 --> 00:08:52,466 righteousness, in his holiness, 141 00:08:52,466 --> 00:08:56,700 acceptable to your God. Because you have 142 00:08:56,700 --> 00:09:00,833 been washed white in the blood of the 143 00:09:00,833 --> 00:09:05,500 Lamb. Today we commemorate Johannes von 144 00:09:05,500 --> 00:09:10,400 Staupitz who taught Luther what we have 145 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,433 learned from 1st John chapter 1. Look at 146 00:09:14,433 --> 00:09:18,466 yourself to see the filth that you are 147 00:09:18,466 --> 00:09:22,233 going to leave behind with Jesus. Then 148 00:09:22,233 --> 00:09:25,966 stop looking at yourself to find out 149 00:09:25,966 --> 00:09:28,600 whether you are acceptable in God's 150 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,300 sight. And do what Staupitz taught 151 00:09:31,300 --> 00:09:35,166 Luther to do. Look at the wounds of 152 00:09:35,166 --> 00:09:38,500 Jesus. See his blood, hear the 153 00:09:38,500 --> 00:09:40,466 absolution, and 154 00:09:40,466 --> 00:09:43,133 know that those words are just as valid 155 00:09:43,133 --> 00:09:45,900 and certain even in heaven as if Christ 156 00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:48,033 your dear Lord dealt with you himself 157 00:09:48,033 --> 00:09:50,466 because Christ your dear Lord is dealing 158 00:09:50,466 --> 00:09:53,300 with you himself. He's just using the 159 00:09:53,300 --> 00:09:56,366 vocal cords of his called and ordained 160 00:09:56,366 --> 00:09:59,966 under Shepherd to do it. Look to your 161 00:09:59,966 --> 00:10:04,066 Lord Jesus. He is the reason that God is 162 00:10:04,066 --> 00:10:06,633 faithful and just to forgive your sins 163 00:10:06,633 --> 00:10:09,533 and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 164 00:10:10,500 --> 00:10:11,866 In the name of Jesus.