WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:01.600 Grace, mercy and peace 2 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:02.600 be to you from God 3 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:05.400 our Father and our Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ. 4 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:06.800 Amen. 5 00:00:09.300 --> 00:00:13.400 I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord urge you to walk in a manner 6 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:17.500 worthy of the calling to which you have been called. This is the word 7 00:00:17.500 --> 00:00:18.200 of the Lord. 8 00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:28.000 Paul is a prisoner for the Lord. 9 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:32.800 Prison conditions and 10 00:00:33.800 --> 00:00:36.700 the fact that you had to be supported by those who are friends and 11 00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:37.500 relatives 12 00:00:38.500 --> 00:00:44.200 in prisons in that day as you do today in many prisons around the 13 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:44.800 world. 14 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:48.900 Difficult conditions. 15 00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:54.100 Paul needed to depend on these people in prison and he needed to 16 00:00:54.100 --> 00:00:56.800 depend on the guards 17 00:00:58.300 --> 00:00:59.700 and the others around him 18 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:02.600 o get messages out. 19 00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:05.800 And to get food in. 20 00:01:13.100 --> 00:01:14.000 He asks 21 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:22.500 his followers to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of the Lord 22 00:01:22.800 --> 00:01:24.600 and Savior, Jesus Christ. 23 00:01:27.800 --> 00:01:34.200 I have to wonder if this was also inspired by Paul's stay in prison. 24 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:38.700 Because he makes it all about the things 25 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:41.700 that could bring a favorable outcome 26 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:44.100 to some 27 00:01:45.600 --> 00:01:46.500 who are in prison. 28 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:57.600 Here we begin to see Paul's theme of what it is like to be like God 29 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:04.600 and it emerges here. God who through the actions and relations of the 30 00:02:04.600 --> 00:02:05.900 persons of the trinity. 31 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:08.400 Is humble. 32 00:02:09.699 --> 00:02:10.400 Gentle. 33 00:02:12.200 --> 00:02:13.200 Patient. 34 00:02:14.200 --> 00:02:15.000 And loving. 35 00:02:18.200 --> 00:02:24.600 We do not see in the Bible, the persons of the Trinity boasting about 36 00:02:24.600 --> 00:02:25.600 themselves. 37 00:02:27.700 --> 00:02:30.500 But rather pointing to one another. 38 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:37.700 The Father points to the work of the Son, and the Spirit, the Son 39 00:02:37.700 --> 00:02:43.700 points to the work of the Father, and the Spirit, the Spirit brings to 40 00:02:43.700 --> 00:02:47.800 light the Father and the Son. 41 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:50.900 Boasting, 42 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:53.400 egoism 43 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:57.300 is a sign of weakness. 44 00:02:59.600 --> 00:02:59.800 Humbleness 45 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.800 even among the persons of the Trinity 46 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:06.300 Iis one of strength. 47 00:03:09.700 --> 00:03:11.300 As to gentleness, 48 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:14.900 the second attribute Paul mentions. 49 00:03:16.200 --> 00:03:24.300 Who is more gentle than God who patiently bears with the sinner and 50 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:25.500 affords us 51 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:27.700 so much room for repentance. 52 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:34.000 Who does not desire the death of the sinner, but would have a change 53 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:40.300 of heart at every turn. And in this regard 54 00:03:41.600 --> 00:03:46.200 God, who is all so patient with us. 55 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:54.200 Desiring that we would a car acquire, a heart of wisdom and courage 56 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:56.900 through the word of God 57 00:03:58.100 --> 00:04:00.400 and the good news of Jesus Christ. 58 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:05.400 Receiving new boldness, through the Spirit. 59 00:04:06.700 --> 00:04:10.500 Imagine that bold Lutheran's that would be something. 60 00:04:13.600 --> 00:04:15.100 And God is loving. 61 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.899 He loved us enough to create us 62 00:04:21.899 --> 00:04:23.900 and sustains us every day. 63 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:28.700 Through all the events that occur in our lives. 64 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:33.000 He sends his holy angels to protect us 65 00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:35.900 and guides us through life. 66 00:04:37.400 --> 00:04:43.200 He sent his Son, Jesus Christ to bear our sins, and sorrows, and take 67 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:45.000 away their penalty at the cross. 68 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:48.200 And because we believe in Jesus 69 00:04:49.200 --> 00:04:52.000 He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. 70 00:04:52.900 --> 00:04:58.300 So that we too can say with boldness and assuredness Jesus Christ is 71 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:01.800 Lord to the glory of God the Father. 72 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:07.900 Not only so but he also gives us good things to do, 73 00:05:09.700 --> 00:05:11.900 as we hear earlier in Ephesians. 74 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:17.900 Good works, which he has prepared in advance for us to do. 75 00:05:20.200 --> 00:05:24.200 And so, although there is a diversity of gifts and talents among us, 76 00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:29.000 both worldly and of the Holy Spirit, 77 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:35.500 we live and function as one body in the Lord, Jesus Christ, having one 78 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:37.000 Spirit of holiness. 79 00:05:38.500 --> 00:05:43.500 Furthermore, we share in one hope of the resurrection of the dead and 80 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:47.400 hope in Jesus Christ, and his return in glory, 81 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:51.000 The transformation of our bodies. 82 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:58.200 or Resurrection at the judgment and a life Everlasting with Jesus. 83 00:05:59.200 --> 00:05:59.800 And we have the 84 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:07.000 privilege of sharing in that same one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 85 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:07.500 one God 86 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:14.400 and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 87 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:20.900 Now, we are not stuck in prison. 88 00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:23.700 We are stuck at Seminary. 89 00:06:26.400 --> 00:06:28.000 Either, as workers 90 00:06:29.200 --> 00:06:32.700 or as students or as family members. 91 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:37.600 We do not have to depend on others from outside to bring us food. 92 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:39.300 We have a cafeteria. 93 00:06:42.200 --> 00:06:47.800 Our lot is not as bad from a worldly point of view as Paul's. 94 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:52.600 Sometimes we grouse and complain about the things around us. 95 00:06:53.700 --> 00:06:55.700 But we're actually kind of spoiled. 96 00:06:57.300 --> 00:07:02.000 It's usually something like I can't get my internet to hook up. 97 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:11.200 We have air conditioning food, drink, decent people to be around 98 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:17.700 fantastic, medical care by Pauline standards. Entertainment, that would 99 00:07:17.700 --> 00:07:23.300 have been unimaginable to Paul and so many other blessings. 100 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:29.200 And unlike our predecessors at the Seminary, this is always the legend 101 00:07:29.200 --> 00:07:29.800 everywhere 102 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:35.000 and for all times. We don't have to walk uphill five miles every day 103 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:37.600 through the snow to get to class. 104 00:07:40.700 --> 00:07:46.200 Do we have the right kind of attitude toward the tremendous blessings 105 00:07:46.900 --> 00:07:49.900 and opportunities created by our times and place? 106 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.700 Or do we spend our time focusing on the negative 107 00:07:56.100 --> 00:08:01.100 complaining in a series of idealized, if only. 108 00:08:03.700 --> 00:08:05.200 Paul knows what we need. 109 00:08:06.700 --> 00:08:08.800 We need the same thing, he does. 110 00:08:10.200 --> 00:08:15.300 And we do this thing as badly as his followers sometimes. 111 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:19.800 We need to trust the Lord and Savior 112 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:21.100 Jesus Christ 113 00:08:22.200 --> 00:08:26.800 that he has prepared us for the work, we need to do and that he will 114 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:30.000 never leave us or forsake us. 115 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:39.100 That he has given us a powerful, and gentle spirit to do this work 116 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:44.300 within us among us and through us. 117 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:50.600 And here is where we can certainly repent, and have faith. 118 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:55.600 We can repent of the lack of trust and faith in what we can accomplish 119 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.400 by prayer. By praising and giving 120 00:08:58.400 --> 00:08:59.600 thanks by loving and 121 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:06.200 rejoicing in the lives of our brothers and sisters by being humble and 122 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:06.900 gentle 123 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:10.200 and patient with one another. 124 00:09:12.100 --> 00:09:20.400 And God has promised to forgive us and love us to sustain us and build 125 00:09:20.400 --> 00:09:28.500 us up to make us little lords to this world in a humble and gentle 126 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:29.100 way. 127 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:36.000 And God will be faithful and forgive and give us strength and love, 128 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:42.700 and joy, and peace, and patience, and hope to share with others 129 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:44.400 through the great 130 00:09:44.400 --> 00:09:49.700 Good news of the death on the cross and rising from the grave of 131 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:54.400 Jesus, our Lord, and Savior, and our great high priest. 132 00:09:55.300 --> 00:09:56.000 Amen.