WEBVTT
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Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord
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and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Amen.
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My dear Christian friends of Concordia Seminary, my alma mater,
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today's message is not about you specifically, nor about me.
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It's about Jesus, the glory of God's image.
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Still, the Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians,
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makes us reflect on something very important your reason for being
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here at Concordia Seminary.
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Why do you want to be a minister, a servant of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ?
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Paul had several reasons for writing this letter to the church in
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Corinth, but one of them was to address false accusations from so
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called super apostles, who were apparently preaching a different
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gospel and discrediting him as an apostle.
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Thus one purpose for this letter is to affirm his calling by God as a
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minister of the Gospel.
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Aspiring to be a minister of the Gospel is, as Paul would write to
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Timothy, a noble task.
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I think this would include not only those of you who are studying to
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be an overseer, a pastor, but such God pleasing aspirations as those
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studying to be deaconess, those preparing for other forms of church
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and missionary work, those teaching here at the seminary, and those
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supporting students in other ways.
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So this is something for all of us.
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St.
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Paul begins by addressing what a minister of the Gospel is not.
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We might add that he is probably contrasting his ministry to the false
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teachers who are attacking his motives and ministry in Corinth,
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something that he would address more fully in chapters ten and eleven.
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A minister of the Gospel is not faint of heart.
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The Greek word here for loose heart in the ESV is one used for
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cowards.
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Cowards those who lack courage in combat.
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Next, the minister of the Gospel does not practice disgraceful,
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underhanded, or cunning ways.
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One who does this is a strategist for attaining self centered means,
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manipulating their message for their own
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intended results.
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They adapted to the spirit of the age or the partialities of their
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hears, more often than not as an appeal to emotions.
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Examples might include the pietistic inventacles of the 18th and 19th
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centuries focused on law and feelings, revivals, anxious benches, fire
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and brimstone, preaching in altar calls of the Second Great Awakening
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and American evangelicalism. Or the showmanship seen today, including
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stage prancing, projectors, pyrotechniques, light shows, loud bands
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playing repetitive anthropocentric music.
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These can be seen as manipulative practices, more often than not
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directed at growing an audience.
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Furthermore, ministers of the gospel do not tamper with the word of
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God.
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The Greek word dolo means to falsify, adulterate, or dilute.
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All of Scripture is God breathed, profitable for teaching, reproof,
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correction and training and righteousness.
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We do not take away from falsify or dilute God's word.
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Finally, ministers of the Gospel do not proclaim themselves.
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This is not a popularity contest.
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You and I, the poor miserable sinners that we are, have nothing of
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ourselves that will save anyone.
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Jesus is always the focus and personal anecdotes, even like Paul's own
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boasting should always point to Christ.
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With that said, let's now consider what a minister or ministry of the
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gospel is.
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First and foremost, it is confidence in God's mercy, and because of
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that, it's not cowardly or faint hearted.
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Paul preached the gospel boldly, without shame.
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This was confidence not in his own ability, but complete dependence on
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the mercy of God and the power of the Gospel.
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Remember, Paul endured afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings,
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stoning, shipwrecks, imprisonment and more.
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Yet by God's mercy, he did not lose heart, and he could encourage the
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same for the Christians in Corinth and for you and for me.
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The ministry of the Gospel involves living one's life
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as an open book and commending oneself to others consciences in the
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sight of God.
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Paul preached an open Gospel based on the truth of God's word.
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He was also open about his own shortcomings, which included not being
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the best speaker or unskilled speaker as he said, and having something
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he called a thorn in the flesh.
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He does not have to think about some gimmick which would get people to
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listen to him.
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Openness with the truth of God's word and one's own weaknesses speaks
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volumes to the God given consciences of others.
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The ministry of the Gospel proclaims Jesus Christ who is the very
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image of God.
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Without the promise of the Christ form of old, the image of God's
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grace and mercy would have remained veiled, as it were by the law
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given through Moses.
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But Jesus the Christ, very God of very God who was promised all the
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way back to Adam and Eve, came into our world to show forth God's
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grace and mercy. To fulfill God's law perfectly on our behalf. To
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suffer God's just wrath over sin and by his glorious resurrection, to
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conquer sin death and Satan
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for you and for me.
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In Christ we see God's love for the world, that through faith in God's
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only begotten Son, we have forgiveness, reconciliation and eternal
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life.
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The ministry of the Gospel serves others for Jesus' sake.
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The apostle Paul preached the Gospel humbly in order to serve others.
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He knew his calling was not due to his own work, ability or
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credentials, but always by God's mercy alone.
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Saul had been blind to the truth of God, but God broke through his
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darkness, physically blinded him, connected him to Christ in baptism,
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changed his name to Paul, and then sent him with the Gospel to be the
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apostle to the Gentiles.
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Paul always served others for Jesus 'sake because of our Lord's mercy
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toward him, and because of the Gospel's power to enlighten others.
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In Paul, we see that the ministry of the Gospel involves confidence in
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God's mercy, humility, transparency and service.
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And one more thing the ministry of the Gospel recognizes that through
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the Gospel is powerful
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and efficacious
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it's not always effective.
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If people do not respond to the gospel.
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It is not the gospel's fault, nor Paul's fault, nor your fault.
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They are blinded by Satan unbelievers and unless they see the light,
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they are perishing eternally.
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The god or idol, whom the world unconsciously worships and pays
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allegiance to, has brainwashed them
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so they do not see the truth regarding their own sin and their need
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for a savior.
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Yet the minister of the gospel is confident that the Holy Spirit
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breaks through the veil of darkness, blinding unbelievers.
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We pray that the Holy Spirit uses the gospel that we share to work
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faith in others hearts.
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When we consider what a minister of the gospel is not and what a
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minister of the gospel is, how do we keep from losing heart, shrinking
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and cowardice?
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Who are you and I to carry out such a task?
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Like the apostle Paul, God has shown us mercy in Christ.
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Maybe we haven't persecuted and killed Christians, but that doesn't
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mean we shouldn't claim with Paul that we are the chief of sinners.
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We dare not deny it.
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We must humbly confess it.
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And yet God has shown us great and wonderful mercy in Christ.
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In Holy baptism we are connected to Jesus life, death and
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resurrection.
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Given the Holy Spirit forgiveness and faith.
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The same powerful word which God spoke at creation let light shine out
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of darkness has shown in your hearts and in my heart. You have the
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privilege of regularly basking in that light
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here at Concordia Seminary and in classes in chapel, fieldwork
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congregations, personal devotions and conversations with brothers and
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sisters in Christ.
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God's word never returns empty.
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It is dunimus power.
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It works and strengthens faith, builds confidence
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as a minister of the gospel equips you for service to others.
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The light of Christ shines in the darkness and the darkness has not
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overcome it.
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Concordia seminaries theme for 2022 and 2023 academic year is Sharing
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the Gospel Sharing Our lives based based on first Thessalonians two
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verse eight.
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However, I think that Second
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Corinthians four one through six also addresses your theme quite well.
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The ministry of the Gospel is sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in
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bold, confident proclamation and in our lives of service to others.
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You are able to do that with confidence, openness and transparency in
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the face of your own shortcomings and weaknesses, because you have
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been shown the mercy of God and the glory of Christ, who is the image
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of God.
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May our merciful Lord continue to shine the light of Christ and his
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word into your hearts, giving you the knowledge of the glory of God in
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the face of Jesus Christ.
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy
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Spirit. Amen.