WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.100 --> 00:00:05.900 Our Father for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text is the lesson that was read 2 00:00:05.900 --> 00:00:09.400 from 1st Thessalonians. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the 3 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:14.700 Holy Spirit. Amen. You've heard it said in days of old theology is the 4 00:00:14.700 --> 00:00:16.500 queen of the Sciences. 5 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:20.000 But of course you probably already heard here that it's not really a 6 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:20.700 science 7 00:00:20.700 --> 00:00:26.100 it's an art. Specifically theology is the art of explaining to the 8 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:30.000 laity that the Bible doesn't really mean what it says or at least 9 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.800 sometimes feels like that. 10 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:36.700 There's a temptation to that in the study of Theology and in the 11 00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:37.700 learning of the things of God. 12 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:45.000 And it's easier to recognize that art or artifice in others. 13 00:00:46.300 --> 00:00:50.500 So we can have a good laugh at the Baptist who has a hard time 14 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:58.100 explaining away Acts 2:38 and 39 or Romans chapter 6 or Colossians 15 00:00:58.100 --> 00:00:58.600 chapter 2. 16 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:03.400 It can be downright uncomfortable to read an orthodox Presbyterian 17 00:01:03.400 --> 00:01:05.500 explaining away how 18 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:05.700 St. 19 00:01:05.700 --> 00:01:09.900 John says: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole 20 00:01:09.900 --> 00:01:14.700 world" or in 1st John that "our Lord Jesus Christ died not only for our 21 00:01:14.700 --> 00:01:17.100 sins but for the sins of the whole world." 22 00:01:18.300 --> 00:01:24.200 Likewise we can see the struggle of wanting to fall into the artifice 23 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:28.500 of Theology of explaining away what the Bible says when we read a 24 00:01:28.500 --> 00:01:33.400 Roman Catholic commentary on Romans chapter 3 and 4 Galatians chapter 25 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:33.700 2. 26 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:42.200 Like every temptation it's common to all men, it's common to us as well. 27 00:01:43.600 --> 00:01:47.900 And so when we come to a lesson like we have today from the end of an 28 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:48.400 epistle. 29 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:54.500 There's a particular temptation amongst Lutheran's to explain away. 30 00:01:56.300 --> 00:01:59.600 To explain to the laity that the Bible doesn't really mean what it 31 00:01:59.600 --> 00:02:00.200 says. 32 00:02:01.300 --> 00:02:05.800 When especially the end of the Epistles the Apostle exhorts us 33 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:12.100 to a struggle invites us into a crucible of faith. 34 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:18.600 Have you felt that tug to want to explain this away and so when Saint 35 00:02:18.600 --> 00:02:20.500 Paul says pray without ceasing. 36 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:23.800 Give thanks in all circumstances. 37 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:29.400 Don't quench the spirit. Test everything, abstain from every form of 38 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:29.600 evil. 39 00:02:29.600 --> 00:02:31.900 You know what I'm talkin about already, right? 40 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:34.300 Let's categorize 41 00:02:34.300 --> 00:02:37.800 this as Law, and it doesn't have to mean what it says. 42 00:02:40.100 --> 00:02:43.500 Categorize this as Law, and you're excused 43 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:46.800 from the struggle of the faith. 44 00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:53.800 Beloved our preaching should sound like Saint Paul's preaching. 45 00:02:55.600 --> 00:02:58.400 Our preaching should sound like the preaching of our Lord Jesus 46 00:02:58.400 --> 00:02:58.800 Christ. 47 00:03:01.100 --> 00:03:05.100 Who invited us into a struggle who's prerequisite is the free 48 00:03:05.100 --> 00:03:07.400 forgiveness of sins by the mercies of God. 49 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:16.400 Once your washed, once your cleansed, once your sanctified, once you belong 50 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:21.500 to the Lord Jesus Christ, once you've confronted your sins, once 51 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:24.600 you've heard the Gospel in other words, once you've lived through 52 00:03:24.600 --> 00:03:30.300 Romans 2, 3, 4, 5 comes Roman 6. 53 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:33.900 Comes Romans 7 Romans 8. 54 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:39.700 Little break for 9, 10 and 11 of better very specific theological topic 55 00:03:39.700 --> 00:03:42.600 and we're back to at Romans 12 13, 14, 15, 16. 56 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:47.300 And here in 1st Thessalonians it's the same way. 57 00:03:49.100 --> 00:03:53.100 You are baptized you belong to the Lord your salvation is secure 58 00:03:53.100 --> 00:03:55.900 you've been put on the foundation as St. 59 00:03:55.900 --> 00:03:59.700 Paul says in 1st Corinthians chapter 3. The only foundation which 60 00:03:59.700 --> 00:04:04.400 any man may build upon our Lord Jesus Christ, you belong to him. 61 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:06.300 You're safe and him. 62 00:04:07.200 --> 00:04:08.900 You have a destiny in him. 63 00:04:09.900 --> 00:04:13.500 To be the child of God and that's a struggle you've been called as a 64 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:15.700 soldier of the Lord Saint Paul says. 65 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:18.100 And soldiers fight. 66 00:04:20.700 --> 00:04:21.500 So beloved 67 00:04:23.200 --> 00:04:24.300 pray without ceasing. 68 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:30.400 I hope you pray without ceasing. 69 00:04:30.400 --> 00:04:33.500 I hope you're driven to prayer by everything that happens in your 70 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:33.800 life. 71 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:40.000 And if this word condemns you today repent fine forgiveness and then 72 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:41.200 go forth and do better. 73 00:04:45.200 --> 00:04:46.700 Test everything. 74 00:04:48.700 --> 00:04:52.600 Especially if you end up reading something that makes it sound like 75 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:56.600 you're trying to explain the Bible away test everything and hold fast 76 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:57.400 to what is good. 77 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:01.100 And abstain from every form of evil. 78 00:05:03.200 --> 00:05:07.900 Look for opportunities to walk the other way from sin not look for 79 00:05:07.900 --> 00:05:12.200 excuses to get as close to you as you can to sin without being 80 00:05:12.200 --> 00:05:13.700 forced to call it sinning. 81 00:05:15.900 --> 00:05:17.200 That's the Christian Life. 82 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:20.800 That's why all the Epistles follow this pattern. 83 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:23.700 You belong to Jesus. 84 00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:28.400 He's cleansed you and forgiven you and set you on his own foundation 85 00:05:28.400 --> 00:05:32.600 now build on that foundation. Not with wood, 86 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:37.900 hay, stubble and straw build on it with precious stones and gold and 87 00:05:37.900 --> 00:05:42.000 silver. The Lord will bless your efforts by his grace. 88 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:46.100 The Lord will sustain you by his grace. 89 00:05:47.200 --> 00:05:50.800 The Lord will call you to new struggles 90 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:53.200 in and by His Grace. 91 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:58.400 And in all this you will find that the God of peace himself will sanctify 92 00:05:58.400 --> 00:05:59.400 you completely. 93 00:06:00.400 --> 00:06:04.900 And your whole spirit, soul and body, she'll be kept blameless to the 94 00:06:04.900 --> 00:06:06.700 coming of your lord Jesus Christ. 95 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:08.600 He who calls you is faithful. 96 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:10.500 He will surely do it. 97 00:06:11.400 --> 00:06:14.900 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.