Luther for the Busy Man

THE WEEK OF TRINITY - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 145We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. Whosoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:14-15Paul says in Romans that God promised the Gospel beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, “the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:2-4). According to the flesh, then, He had a beginning, but, according to the Spirit, He has existed in eternity, although beforehand this was not clearly recognized.It was not necessary for us to make a God of Him; we simply declare Him to be God’s Son and accept Him as such. This is also the concern of the Holy Spirit. John says, “When the Spirit of truth comes … He will glorify me” (John 16:13-14).In another context, the evangelist John writes that Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made” (John 17:1-5).SL 11:1149 (6)PRAYER: Christ Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, through whom the invisible and most high became visible to mortal men, grant that by Your grace and power we may so live on this earth that we never lose the eternal treasure reserved for us in heaven, where You live and reign with the Father and the Sprit, one God, forevermore. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:405-411.

THE WEEK OF TRINITY - TUESDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:3-14[Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20God has forbidden us to worship any strange gods. Now we are told in John that it is God’s will that His Son should be honored with the honor with which He Himself is honored. John reports Christ’s words to the Jews.“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel.For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (John 5:19-23).These are, I believe, crystal clear words about the deity of Christ. Inasmuch, then, as God commands us to have only one God and to give to no other creature the honor which belongs to God or is God’s due, He nevertheless bestows this honor upon Christ; Christ must be God.SL 11:1148 (5)PRAYER: You have shown us in many clear statements and testimonies, Lord God, that Your Son Jesus Christ is true God and deserving of the full honor of the godhead. Keep us ever mindful of the exalted nature of Your Son, that we may also be thereby encouraged to place all our faith and trust in Him as our Savior and Redeemer, in whose name we also ask this. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:405-411.

THE WEEK OF TRINITY - MONDAYLESSON: PSALM 110:1-4He [Christ] reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature. Hebrews 1:3The Old Testament sets forth many clear testimonies on the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. David says: “The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.’” The “right hand” means the royal throne, and this passage indicates that David’s “Lord,” Christ, is a Lord and King over all creatures and that everything is to be subjected to Him (Psalm 110:1).In another psalm we read: “What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? Yet thou hast made him little less than God and dost crown him with glory and honor. Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea” (Psalm 8:4-8). In other words, God has made Him Lord over the whole world.The apostle Paul refers to this psalm in Ephesians and Colossians and gives a masterly interpretation of it (Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 2:9-10). If God has set Him at His own right hand and made Him Lord of all things in heaven and on earth, He must be God. He could not sit at God’s right hand and have authority over all creatures if He were not God. For God will not share His glory with any else, as He states in Isaiah 48:11.So, there are two persons, the Father and the Son, to whom the Father has given as much as He himself has. To sit at God’s right hand means being the equal of God and having authority over all God's creatures. The One to whom this has been assigned must be God.SL 11:1148 (4)PRAYER: Lord Jesus, as true God together with Your heavenly Father, You are fully worthy of all honor and worship. Open our hearts at all times to the majesty of Your person and the scope of Your authority and power. Grant us this in Your mercy and grace, Lord Jesus, You who live and reign with Your Father and the Spirit, one God, forevermore. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:405-411.

THE WEEK OF TRINITY - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 3:1-15The Word was God … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:14The Sunday after Pentecost has come to be regarded in the Church as the festival of the Holy Trinity. The word Trinity is not found in Holy Scripture; it has been devised and invented by men. That is also why it always sounds a little cold. It would be far better if we simply said “God” in place of the “Trinity.”This word signifies that God is threefold with respect to person. This is a heavenly matter which the world cannot understand. That is why I have so often reminded you that this article, as well as others, must not be based on reason or on any human similes or allegories; it must be based and ground on passages of the Scriptures. God Himself knows well what this article means and how He should speak about Himself.The theological schools have devised many distinctions, dreams, and fictions in their efforts to set forth the holy Trinity and have made fools of themselves in the effort. In this connection, then, we shall take simple statements of Scripture by which we may grasp and comprehend the deity of Christ.To begin, there are many passages to be quoted here from the New Testament. One of the best known of these passages forms the beginning of John’s Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3). Accordingly, since He was not made but was the Maker Himself, He must be very God. And John says a little later, “And the Word became flesh.”SL 11:1146 (1-3)PRAYER: Worthy of praise from every mouth, of confession from every tongue, and worship from every creature is Your glorious name, O Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Abide with us, Your unworthy servants, with Your Word and grace, now and forever. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:405-411.

THE WEEK OF PENTECOST - SATURDAYLESSON: LUKE 24:44-49“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:25-26If the Holy Spirit is to live up to His name, He cannot carry out His office anywhere else but where there is no counsel or comfort available and where such counsel and comfort is necessary and also desired. The Holy Spirit cannot comfort hard-headed men with frivolous hearts. Such men have never known any kind of inward struggle or tasted the bitter fruits of despair. They have never felt any particular need or spiritual distress, so the Holy Spirit has nothing to offer them. His office can be carried out only among the sorrowful, those in need of comfort, in hearts that are despairing.But what is His work? To teach “all things” and bring matters to remembrance that men must know. Some have explained this as meaning that the Scriptures do not contain all that man must believe and do or leave undone. The Holy Spirit’s work is to teach many things that Christ did not teach. This is absolutely against the work of the Holy Spirt and even quite absurd.Christ says quite clearly here: “He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you,” that is, “He will explain clearly what I am now telling you better than I am able to teach you with words. You will need no further words or explanations.”Christ bases His Word on the testimony of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit’s work to bear witness to Christ, and this testimony of the Spirit lives in our hearts so that we understand it and believe it. Hence, if anyone teaches you something different about Christ, do not accept it as coming from the Holy Spirit.SL 11:1029 (29-30)PRAYER: Holy Spirit of God, give us a new mind to comprehend the loving purposes of our God and Father, a new heart ever to rejoice in them, and the perseverance which keeps us on the paths of Your will, in Christ’s name. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:272-287.

THE WEEK OF PENTECOST - FRIDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 4:25-32If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25There must always be a mixture or blending in us: we must feel both the Holy Spirit and our sin and imperfection. If there is to be improvement in us, we must resemble a sick person in the hands of a physician. Therefore, let no one conclude as follows: this person has the Holy Spirit; therefore, he or she must be quite strong; bring forth the most precious works and never show any signs of weakness. Not so! The Gospel is not a proclamation for everyone.It is beyond measure a sweet proclamation, but if it encounters raw and acid hearts, it does not achieve its purpose. In this case, men become only more insolent and frivolous in the belief that there is really no need for them to struggle against sin. They have no real knowledge of sin or misfortune. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is given to no one but to those who are truly sorrowful because of their sins and who are afraid of the consequences. Among such people, the Gospel can go to work usefully and fruitfully.The gift of the Gospel is such an exalted and noble gift that God does not throw it to dogs. Even if the latter come by chance upon the Gospel and hear it preached, they simply devour it without knowing what they are devouring. For successful work, the Holy Spirit must encounter hearts which feel and realize their sinful lusts, and which know that by nature they are in a hopeless situation. There must be a struggle in the heart if the Spirit is to come with His help. No one should imagine that things can take another course here.SL 11:1027 (23)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You have implanted desires in our hearts so great that only You can bring them to pass. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that we may successfully complete all that we have begun in Your name and in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:272-287.

THE WEEK OF PENTECOST - THURSDAYLESSON: ROMANS 7:13-20Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26In connection with the Holy Spirit and His work, it is always necessary to maintain a certain reserve, so that we do not approach the Holy Spirit with an importunity that amounts to arrogance and a joyfulness that is almost levity.Some people are so filled with the Spirit that they become secure and imagine themselves to be on the threshold of perfection. A pious Christian is still flesh and blood like other men, except that he deeply deplores his sin and evil lust. He has experiences which he would rather forget. Unbelievers take little account of sin and do not allow it to bother them unduly.The important thing here is not merely the experience of evil lust and fighting against it. We must not allow our feelings and experience to determine the issue. We must not conclude that all is lost because we still feel our sins. We must keep on working at our sins every day of our lives and permit the Holy Spirit to continue His work in us. We must also have the earnest desire to get rid of our sins. This desire never ceases in believers.Such sighs penetrate so deeply that they reach a level where they are beyond words (Romans 8:26). But they have a precious auditor, the Holy Spirit Himself. He can fully appreciate all this sighing and comfort the conscience from which it comes.SL 11:1026 (21)PRAYER: Hear our sighs, O Holy Spirit, Comforter and Counsellor, and keep working on us with Your purposes of grace and salvation, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:272-287.

THE WEEK OF PENTECOST - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PHILIPPIANS 3:12-16Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Philippians 3:12We should learn to understand that a man who has received the Holy Spirit does not necessarily become a perfect Christian immediately, experiencing no further trouble from the Law or from sin. Nor is the Spirit’s presence always immediately evident from a spotless purity.We do not teach that the Holy Spirit has already fully performed His office and completed it but simply that He has begun to carry out His office, that His work is beginning to run its course and continually developing without ceasing.You will never find a single person who is without sin and sorrow, full of righteousness and joy, and so perfect that he is completely self-sufficient, serving everyone in perfect freedom. Scripture clearly tells us what the work and office of the Holy Spirit is, to save men from sin and its terrors, but that office is still not fully accomplished. Every Christian will at times feel sin in his heart and experience the terrors of death. He will be subject to all the assaults which assail other sinners.Unbelievers are held so fast in their sins that they no longer feel them. Believers, however, do feel them, but they have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who comforts them and strengthens them. Had the Spirit completed His office, this would not be the case.SL 11:1025 (19-20)PRAYER: We beseech You, O Lord, to grant us the comforting presence and aid of Your Holy Spirit, that, whatever by His teaching we know to be our duty, we may by His grace and mercy be able to perform, through Christ our Lord. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:272-287.

THE WEEK OF PENTECOST - TUESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 13:44-45“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name … will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26You will know who the Holy Spirit is if you know why He was given and what His office is. He it is who applies the treasure of Christ and all that He has to us—Christ who is given to us and proclaimed to us through the Gospel. It is the office of the Holy Spirit to fix this treasure in our hearts as our very own possession.When He has done this and you experience this treasure in your heart, it follows that you will have to ask yourself: If the real issue here is that your works count for nothing and that the Holy Spirit must work all this in you, why should you continue to flog yourself with works of the Law?All human works and the Law are no longer of any significance here, not even the law of Moses, for a man who has the treasure of Christ in his heart is above all law. The Holy Spirit teaches him better than all books, so that he understands the Scripture better than we can explain it to him and of himself does all that God wants of him. The Law can make no demands on him. The only real use of books is that one can use them to demonstrate in what manner the Holy Spirit teaches men.Our faith must never become a mere private matter which we keep to ourselves; it must burst forth. To establish and prove our faith, we must have Scripture. Take care, then, that you do not regard the Holy Spirit as a law-giver but as the one who abrogates the Law and sets men free, so that not a letter of it remains in force against you as far as your salvation is concerned.SL 11:1025 (17-18)PRAYER: Come Holy Spirit, Comforter and Counselor, with all Your gifts of grace in Christ and dwell in our hearts in such a way that we always have a confident assurance and remain free men, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:272-287.

THE WEEK OF PENTECOST - MONDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 2:19-22“When the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me.” John 15:26In what way does the Holy Spirit change the heart and make it new? What means does He use to take hold of the heart? He does it by proclaiming and preaching the Lord Jesus Christ, as Christ Himself declares in John’s Gospel, “When the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me.”We have often heard that this Gospel, which God allows to be preached in the world and proclaimed to everyone, teaches that no one can become righteous before God through the Law, but that the Law only makes the situation worse for every man. Therefore, God sent His beloved Son into the world to die and shed His blood for the world and to demonstrate that men cannot destroy their sins and get rid of them by their own strength and works.For the proclamation of this Gospel, something additional is needed. I do not necessarily believe this Gospel simply by hearing it preached. For this purpose, God has given us the additional gift of His Holy Spirit who impresses this Gospel upon our hearts, so that it sticks to the heart and lives in the heart. In the work of Christ, there is the whole treasure of salvation, but it is not necessarily distributed and applied.If we are to enjoy this treasure, the Holy Spirit must come to us and put this treasure into our hearts and awaken faith in this treasure in our hearts so that it becomes our very own possession. This is the special work of the Holy Spirit.SL. 11:1024 (15-16)PRAYER: Almighty and merciful Lord, in the gifts of Your Holy Spirit You have given us a sure pledge that Christ’s work of salvation belongs to us. May Your Holy Spirit always continue to bear witness with our spirit that we are Your children and heirs of Your kingdom, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:272-287.

THE DAY OF PENTECOST - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 14:23-31The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2On the day of Pentecost, when the disciples of Christ were all together in one place, the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them. Before this joyful event, they sat in deep gloom, fear, and sorrow. The Spirit gave them cloven tongues of fire, enkindled them so that they became bold, preached freely in groups, and were afraid of nothing.From all this, you see quite clearly that it is not the office of the Holy Spirit to write books or to set up laws but to abolish all this in the interests of freedom. The Holy Spirit is a God who does His writing in the heart, making it burn. He supplies a man with new courage so that he becomes joyful before God and begins to love Him and then serves his fellowman with a joyful heart.To set forth the Holy Spirit in this light is to preach the Holy Spirit correctly. Do not believe anyone who sets forth the Spirit in a different light. If the Spirit comes in this way, you see that He annuls the letter of the Law and wants to free men from sins and the Law. Indeed, He wants to make it quite clear that we have no further use of the Law and that He rules inwardly in our hearts without the Law.SL 11:1023 (14)PRAYER: Renew our spirits by Your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, and draw our hearts to Yourself in Him. Let us not serve You as slaves, with a spirit of bondage, but with freedom and gladness as Your true sons, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:272-287.

THE WEEK OF ASCENSION - SATURDAYLESSON: 1 THESSALONIANS 1:2-10“And you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:27“When you have become sure and certain through the Holy Spirit who has witnessed to you, then first and foremost you will bear witness to Me.”This is Christ’s conviction about His disciples. He had, of course, chosen them as His apostles; they had heard His words and doctrine; they had seen His works and His life. All this would be very important to their proclamation of Christ. But, in addition, they still needed the witness of the Holy Spirit, or else they would achieve nothing.Conscience is always too weak to offer effective resistance to sin. There is no sin so small that conscience can really stand up against it, even such a matter, for example, as laughing in church. Likewise, conscience can achieve very little when death assails us. We must look elsewhere for help to supply courage to a timid and despondent conscience, so that it never gives up, although it may be heavily laden with sins.This needed help, like the One who promises it, must be almighty help so that the timid conscience, which beforehand was previously terrified by the sound of a driven leaf (Leviticus 26:36), is no longer afraid before all the devils of hell. And the conscience, which was previously so sensitive that it could not even endure laughter, is now quite able to stand up against any number of sins.SL 11:997 (13)PRAYER: Make us strong, bold, and brave confessors of our faith, heavenly Father, through the witness of the Counsellor, whom You and Your Son have promised to send us, in Jesus’ name and for His sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:244-254.

THE WEEK OF ASCENSION - FRIDAYLESSON: 1 PETER 2:7-10“He will bear witness to me.” John 15:26If the Holy Spirit is in your hearts, He will speak through you and make you sure and certain that the Gospel is the truth. From this conviction will also flow your witness to the Gospel.What is the Gospel? It is the testimony concerning Christ, that He is the Son of God and the Savior, besides whom there is no other Savior.This is also what Peter means in his first epistle when he reminds us that we are “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). We have been chosen by God to proclaim Christ and to make Him known. Such testimony is certainly necessary, even though it always arouses the wrath of the world. The cross follows such testimony or witness.There will be insurrections against the Gospel. Princes and lords will rise in anger, and all that is great in the world will oppose the Gospel. The world always finds it hard to listen to the Gospel and to tolerate its proclamation. Hence, the Gospel is always a proclamation that arouses hostility.  When Christ and faith in Christ is proclaimed as the one source of salvation, the wisdom of the world is placarded as tomfoolery and nonsense. One of these must give way. So, the world rejects the Gospel and remains as it was.SL 11:996 (10-11)PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, grant us the courage and faith to witness clearly and consistently to the faith awakened in our hearts by Your gift of the Spirit of truth. If our witness involves us in a cross, Your Counsellor is greater than all and every opposition. Keep Him ever at our side, for Your name’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:244-254.

THE WEEK OF ASCENSION - THURSDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:15-23“Even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father … will bear witness to me.” John 15:26This amounts to saying: He who will comfort you is almighty and Lord over all things. What can any creature do against us when the Creator is at our side? Behold, how great is the comfort of the Holy Spirit! Let all the enemies come on in full array; if the Holy Spirit is our protector and supporter, no danger threatens us.In his first epistle, John says, “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20). He also says in the next chapter, “Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).The Lord here says to us, “I will send the Spirit to you so that nothing may harm you.” Is this not a great consolation? Who will not be bold and courageous after such an assurance?And the Lord calls Him “the Spirit of truth.” Where the Spirit is and where the Spirit comes, there is basic and absolute truth with no falsehood or hypocrisy. The Spirit never plays the hypocrite. But where the Spirit is absent, you will find utter hypocrisy and falsehood. That is also why men fall away when battle threatens; they do not have the Spirit of truth.SL 11:995 (9)PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, dear Lord, for the precious gift of the Counsellor, the Spirit of truth, and all we are and enjoy by His presence with us. Keep Him ever close to us and us with Him, in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:244-254.

THE WEEK OF ASCENSION - WEDNESDAYLESSON: ROMANS 15:13-21“When the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father …” John 15:26So that we do not become despondent and lose heart, Christ here assures us that He will send us a Counsellor or Comforter, and a very unique one at that, one who is almighty. He here calls the Holy Spirit a Counsellor or Comforter.Although our sins and the fear of death at times make us fell, timid, and rather crestfallen, the Spirit comes to us and touches our heart and says, “Wake up and get into things!” He inspires us with courage, speaking to us in a friendly and comforting manner, so that we do not despair in the face of death but rush into the fray as though we had ten necks to risk and say, “Although I do have sins, they are no longer of any real account for me; and even if I had still more of them and they made a common assault on me, I still have the confidence that they can no longer harm me.”Not that we should no longer be sensible of our sins, for the flesh must be sensible of them. But the Spirit overcomes and suppresses timidity and fear and guides us safely through such experiences, as He has the power to do. Jesus also says of the Spirit here, “I will send Him to you from the Father.” “The Father is the initial person; I am the Son, and the Holy Spirit comes from us.”These three Persons are one entity and essence, of equal power and might, as He explains even better in the words that follow.SL 11:995 (7-8)PRAYER: Let us always enjoy the comfort, consolation, and power of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom You, Lord Jesus, send us from the Father in Your name and for Your sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:244-254.

ASCENSION WEEK 1 - TUESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 10:24-33I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief, it grows weak because of all my foes. Psalm 6:6-7The chief requisite for a consistent confession of faith is a firm faith, and it is almost certain that the cross will follow upon a consistent confession of faith. Another experience that we will have, whether in life or in death, is that all that we have done can be represented in such a light that it seems to be opposed to God and Scripture.It would be better for us to learn this from men here in this life rather than from the devil in death. For men can never push a matter beyond our ears. But the devil has a very sharp tongue and can push something right into our heart, making it tremble, and filling us with such fear that we imagine ourselves to be lost and ruined and that heaven and earth, God and all His angels, are opposed to us. This is what the prophet is speaking about in the words quoted above from the psalm. It is hard to stand fast in such a situation.From all this, you also see why so few actually confess their faith in a thoroughly consistent manner. One man is afraid of his wife; another man is afraid of his children. There is also concern for property. There are also those, and they are perhaps a majority, who are afraid of themselves.SL 11:994 (5)PRAYER: Remove from us all fear of men and other earthly considerations, heavenly Father, and let our confession at all times ring out loud and clear, in Jesus’ name. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:244-254.

THE FIRST WEEK AFTER ASCENSION - MONDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 16:24-28“They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” John 16:2The cross is pictured here in its true colors. To lie at home sick in bed is nothing compared to this, even though it is often regarded as suffering a cross. Christ is referring here to a very special cross, that of being persecuted, with the possibility of being put to death in disgrace. Not only so, but our persecutors receive praise and win renown. They seem to have right on their side and are honored. On our side, there is nothing but disgrace, shame, and injustice.The persecuting world actually believes that it is advancing God’s honor. The world is also of the opinion that we are receiving our just deserts and that God, the Scriptures, and all the angels are against us. In the view of the world, we really have no grounds for complaint. We cannot lay claims to justice, but we are accursed and must be removed from the scene with shame and disgrace.This is precisely what happened to Christ. He was subjected to a most scornful and disgraceful death, hung between two robbers or murderers, and regarded as an arch-criminal. Blasphemous words were hurled at Him. “He called Himself God’s Son; let Him help Himself now if He wants things otherwise!” And so, Jesus says here to His disciples that they will suffer death—not just simple death, but a disgraceful death—and the world will imagine that it is advancing God’s honor thereby.In the face of such hard and harsh reality, one must still hold fast to faith and confess that God is gracious to us and is our Savior against the whole world, with all its glitter and empty show. We must confess our faith, no matter how hard and harsh the opposition may be, if we are really concerned about our true welfare.SL 11:993 (4)PRAYER: Grant us the needed grace, faith, and power, dear Savior, to bear whatever cross may come upon us and to confess our faith boldly before the whole world, for Your name’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:244-254.

THE FIRST WEEK AFTER ASCENSION - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 15:26-16:4The genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7You have heard me say a great deal about faith. Now you will hear about witnessing to the faith about the cross which accompanies faith. Paul reminded the Romans that a “man believes with his heart and so is justified” (Romans 10:10).The starting point of Christian piety is faith of the heart. This is the beginning of piety, but it is not enough for salvation. One must also lead a truly Christian life and continue therein. Paul also says to the Romans, “Man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved” (Romans 10:10).The two things which save us are faith and the confession of faith. Faith saves from sins, hell, devil, death, and all misfortune. When we have faith, we have enough. Let us then live for God here on earth by extending a helping hand to our neighbor. In this way, God wants His name to be praised and His kingdom extended.Therefore, we must praise God’s name here on earth, confess our faith, and encourage others to come to God, so that God’s kingdom is enlarged and His name praised. Faith must be practiced, worked at, fortified, and even refined by fire like gold.SL 11:992 (1-2)PRAYER: Equip us with grace, heavenly Father, always to be a clear witness to our faith in service to our neighbor, for Christ’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:244-254.

ASCENSION - SATURDAYLESSON: PSALM 47Thou didst ascend the high mount, leading captives in thy train, and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. Psalm 68:18All the prophets were very careful to describe the ascension of Christ and His kingdom. As His dying and death are deeply embedded in Scripture, so also is His kingdom, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. One must understand Christ’s ascension into heaven correctly; otherwise, it is powerless and sapless.Of what use is it to preach only that He has ascended and now sits up there in idleness? The prophet wants to tell us more here in the psalm. Christ ascended into heaven, he declares, leading captivity in His train. This means that He is not only sitting up there on high but that He is also down here on earth. He ascended on high to be present here on earth, so that He might be able to fill all things and be present in all places. This He could not do during His earthly sojourn, for all eyes could not then see Him.He sat down where everyone can see Him and where He can deal with everyone, fill every creature, be present everywhere. All things are not filled by Him, and there is nothing so great in heaven and earth that He does not exercise authority over it. Everything must do what He wills and no more. He not only rules and governs all creatures (for thereby my faith would not necessarily be helped or my sins taken away) but He has also led captivity captive.SL 11:942 (30)PRAYER: Help us to realize the wonderful blessings and assurances which are ours, Lord Jesus, as a direct result of Your ascension into heaven. You are indeed Lord of lords and King of kings, present with us everywhere. In us sinners, however, dear Lord, let Your ascension be a guarantee that You are sin’s conqueror, having led captivity captive. Grant us the full realization of all this, in Your name. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:180-194.

ASCENSION – FRIDAYLESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:1-4When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. Ephesians 4:8Christ’s ascension is a mighty act which should bring us real comfort and assurance. Those who believe in the ascended Lord should be joyful and courageous, take confidence from this act and say, “My Lord Jesus Christ is Lord over death, the devil, sin, righteousness, body, life, enemies, and friends. Of what shall I still be afraid?”If my enemies beset me with intentions of slaying me, my faith declares, “Christ has ascended into heaven and become the Lord of all creatures. Hence, my enemies must also be subject to Him. So, it is beyond their power to harm me. I defy them to raise a finger against me and disturb one hair on my head without Christ’s will.”If this is how faith looks at this matter and rests on this article of Christ’s ascension, all is well. Then faith will also become bold and certain and declare, “If my Lord’s will is that my enemies should put me to death, I willingly depart.”You see, then, that Christ ascended into heaven not just to sit up there in His own interests but to rule there, to work out all things for our good, that we may derived comfort and joy from His ascension.SL 11:941 (27)PRAYER: We thank you, Lord Jesus for the assurance of abiding help and blessing, which we derive from Your glorious ascension into heaven, and its significance for our faith and lives as Christians at all times. Continue to be with us and bless us as our ascended Lord, for Your name’s sake. Amen.   Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:180-194.

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD - THURSDAYLESSON: MARK 16:14-20Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. Mark 16:19We must regard the ascension of Christ as an efficacious, powerful act which is in continuous and ceaseless operation. We must not just imagine that Christ has ascended into heaven and left us here on earth to be ruled in other ways. On the contrary, He has ascended into heaven because He can achieve most and rule most effectively by that act.If He had remained visibly here on earth among men, He could never have achieved as much. Not all people would then have been able to be with Him to hear Him. He had to make a start on having to deal with all men, ruling all men, preaching to all men, so that all might hear Him and that He might be with all men.Take care, therefore, that you do not form the idea that Christ is now far away from you. The contrary is true. When He was on earth, He was far away from us; since His ascension, He is very close to us.Reason, of course, cannot understand this, so the ascension is an article of faith. Here one must close the eyes to reason and grasp matters by faith. God’s Word tells us that the man Christ Jesus ascended visibly into heaven where He now sits at God’s right hand and governs all things.SL 11:940 (24-25)PRAYER: Christ our Savior ascended visibly into heaven from where He now rules and governs all things. Make us aware of the full import of this mighty act of our Savior, heavenly Father, so that we look more confidently to Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:180-194.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 7:7-12“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14An important factor in our prayers is that we must pray to our heavenly Father in the name of Jesus. This is nothing else but to come to God with faith in Christ and to console ourselves with the confidence that He is our Mediator through whom all things are given to us.Without such faith and confidence in Christ and His work of salvation, we would merit nothing but wrath and displeasure. St. Paul reminds us of all this when he declares in Romans, “Through Christ we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).We are really asking in the name of Jesus when we rely on Jesus and believe that we shall be accepted and heard for His sake and not for our sakes.Those who ask in their own name—with the presumptuous idea that God will hear them and regard them because of their many great, devotional, and holy prayers—will merit and receive nothing but God’s wrath and disfavor. They do not regard a mediator as necessary. For them, Christ has no significance and is of no use.SL 11:922 (10)AE 77:255PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, never let us forget how much we need the work of our Savior and Mediator. On this basis, may our prayers be always pleasing and acceptable to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - TUESDAYLESSON: LUKE 19:1-6Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26In our prayers, we must earnestly desire or wish that what we pray for should come to pass. This is what is meant by the word “ask” which Jesus uses in the Gospel. Some have described this as “the ascent of the soul to God.” The heart lifts itself up and soars up to God with a burning desire, and on this basis, it sighs and says, “O that I had this or that!”According to St. Paul, prayer can be a yearning that cannot always be put into actual words. The mouth cannot always express what the heart feels; the yearning of the heart can surpass all our speaking and even thinking (Romans 8:26).When Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, the possibility of Jesus speaking to him and coming to his house was beyond all his powers of conception. But after this joyful event, he was more than satisfied. His efforts had succeeded beyond his fondest desires.On one occasion, Moses cried out to God, and God said to him, “Why do you cry to me?” (Exodus 14:15). Actually, Moses on this occasion did not utter a word, but deep sighs came from his heart in the hour of need. Such sighs God calls cries.St. Paul also declares that God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Trials, fear, and distress serve to bring out these sighs. They teach us how to sigh to God in prayer.SL 11:922 (9)AE 77:255PRAYER: You know the meaning of our sighs, heavenly Father, and Your Holy Spirit can also interpret them for us at Your throne of grace. Hear us, accordingly, when we sigh to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - MONDAYLESSON: JAMES 1:5-8“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24In our prayers, we should firmly believe that God’s promise to us is always sure and certain and have no doubt that He will give us what He promises. Words of promise from God always call for faith on our part. Faith is a firm, undoubted confidence in the truth of God’s promise. He who prays to God with doubts in his heart is tempting God. He has his doubts about God’s will and grace. His prayer must be meaningless. He gropes after God like a blind man for a wall.St. John writes: “This is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him” (1 John 5:14-15). In these words, St. John describes how a truly believing heart prays. It is quite sure and certain that prayer is heard and that it will be answered.The Holy Spirit must give this faith and absolute certainty. Without the Holy Spirit, there can be no real Christian prayer. Try it out now and pray in this way! Then you will also experience the wonderful sweetness of this promise of God. You will also gain courage and the comfort of heart to make a variety of prayers, no matter how great or high the petitions may be.SL 11:920 (5-6)AE 77:253-54PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your promises to us are sure and certain. Therefore, we take You at Your Word and bring all our requests and needs before You in prayer in the confidence that You will hear and answer them, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:23-30“Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name.” John 16:23The Gospel for Rogate speaks to us about Christian prayer and what makes a prayer truly Christian.The first thing of importance here is God’s promise. This is the real basis of Christian prayer and the source from which it derives its power. Christ here assures us that what we ask will be given to us, and He does this with a solemn pledge when He declares, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, He will give it to you in my name.”Christ gives us this assurance to make us quite certain that our prayers will be heard. He chides the disciples for having been sluggish in prayer. “Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name,” He says to them. He wants them to understand that God is always prepared to give to them much earlier than they ask and much more than they ask. He offers His blessings to His disciples; they are available whenever they deign to receive them.It is truly a great disgrace and a severe punishment upon us Christians that Christ can still reproach us with sluggishness in asking and that such a rich and excellent promise does not incite us to exercise the privilege of prayer.Here is a great treasure untapped before us, and we make so little effort to exercise the privilege of prayer and to utilize its power in Christian faith and life. God Himself bases prayer on His promise, and on this basis, He also urges us to pray.SL 11:918 (2-3)AE 77:252-53PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You have invited us to bring all our needs before You in prayer in the name of our Savior. Hear our prayer, which we offer in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - SATURDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:11-14It is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22If I am to be accounted righteous before God, it is not enough for me to do good works externally; I must do them from the bottom of my heart with delight and in love, so that I stand unafraid before sin, death, and the devil, free and joyful, with a good conscience and all confidence before God, knowing how I stand with Him.No work and no creature can give me any assurance here. When it comes to righteousness before God, I must look to Christ alone, to Him who has gone to the Father in heaven where I cannot see Him but must believe that He is up above and will help me. This faith makes me acceptable to God, for Christ gives me the Holy Spirit in my heart. It is He who makes me ready and glad to perform all good works. In this way, I am accounted righteous before God and in no other way.As long as you operate with works, you will become more and more wretched and disconsolate the more that you devote yourself to them. The more you rest your faith on Christ alone as your one and only hope and source of righteousness and salvation, the more you will experience the real joy of salvation in Christ. Where Christ is really acknowledged for what He is, the Holy Spirit cannot remain absent.SL 11:871 (17-18)PRAYER: Thanks be to You, heavenly Father, for the riches of Your grace and mercy in Christ Jesus and also for the seal and guarantee that you have given us in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, that we are your beloved children in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - FRIDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31“[The Holy Spirit] will convince the world … of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.” John 16:8-10Righteousness means piety, a good and honest life before God. Jesus says here that He will convince the world of righteousness, “because I go to the Father.”We have often stated that Christ’s resurrection did not take place for His benefit but for our sakes; hence, we should make it our very own possession. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to establish a spiritual kingdom in which He reigns in us by means of righteousness and truth. He is not just sleeping and resting in heaven or amusing Himself there in idleness, but, as Paul reminds us, He is continually active and busy here on earth in His Church, ruling consciences and souls by the Gospel (cf. Ephesians 1:22).Wherever Christ is preached and acknowledged, He now rules in us from God’s right hand, and He Himself is present with us here in our hearts. He rules in His kingdom here on earth in such a way that he exercises power, might, and authority over us and all our foes and helps to free us from sin, death, the devil, and hell. His resurrection and ascension are our consolation, life, salvation, and righteousness.This is what Christ means here when He states that men become righteous before God because He goes to His Father and we see Him no more. This the world cannot understand. The Holy Spirit must come to convince the world of its ignorance in this respect.SL 11:870 (15-16)PRAYER: Continue to abide with us, Lord Jesus, as our consolation, life, salvation, and righteousness in Your kingdom of truth and salvation, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 32[Christ] is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25God makes it quite clear to us that, if we want to get rid of our sins, we must be able to pay the price with quite different works from those which we perform for ourselves. For even our very best works are still marred by sin, even the works by which we imagine that we are reconciling ourselves to God and atoning for our sins.Is it not foolish to try to blot out sins with sins? Even in the very best works that you can perform you are sinning, for the simple reason that you cannot perform these works gladly and readily with all your heart. If you were not motivated by fear of some sort of punishment, you would probably prefer to postpone these works.With these works of yours, you actually try to atone for little sins with big sins, or you commit sins just as great as the ones of which you are trying to rid yourselves. It is really great blindness for a man not to see what sin is, or to know what good works are, and to confuse sins with good works. The Holy Spirit, therefore, comes and convinces the world of sin by showing men that it is sin to reject Christ and not to believe in Him.What is the solution? Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken your sin away and your sins will be gone. If you do not get rid of your sins in this way, you will fall deeper and deeper into sin and its clutches.SL 11:869 (12-13)PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, may our faith in the sufficiency of Your work of salvation never weaken but ever increase in and through the consolation of Your Gospel of grace and love. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25What no eyes have seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him, God has revealed to us through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10Putting it in other words, Christ says, “If they had believed in me, everything would have been bestowed upon them as a free gift; for I know that there is no other alternative available to them by nature. But that they refuse to accept me or believe that I cannot help them will mean condemnation for them.”On judgement day, God’s judgement upon them will run something like this: “You found yourselves in sins and were unable to rescue yourselves. But for all that, it was not my will that you should be condemned. I sent my only Son to you and wanted to give Him to you as a gift so that He might take away your sins. But you refused to accept Him. And so, you are now being condemned solely and only because you do not have Christ as your Savior.”The words of the Gospel are spoken in honor and praise of the high grace that has been given to us in our Lord Jesus Christ. The conception of such a plan of salvation is absolutely above man’s reason.Reason can only think as follows, “I sinned in works, and so, I must make restitution with works, blot out my sins, and pay for them with works, so that I may obtain the assurance of a gracious God.” This is the highest point that reason can reach. In actual fact, it is nothing but folly and blindness.SL 11:868 (10-11)PRAYER: Honor and praise be to You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for the wonderful grace and mercy bestowed on us in Christ. Your love for us is beyond all powers of reason and understanding. Thanks be to You for Your inexpressible love! Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - TUESDAYLESSON: HEBREWS 10:26-31Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12Christ has come and proclaimed the truth that everything we do apart from the Holy Spirit, no matter how great it is and how lovely it appears to be, is sin. We cannot do anything good gladly and willingly without the Holy Spirit. Christ came on earth to take our place. He has taken away all our sins. As a result of this, we have received the Holy Spirit through whom we have also obtained love and the desire to do what God wants us to do.This entire work of Christ is God’s free gift to us, so that we should never presume to come before God with our own works, but solely and only through Christ and His merits. Through the work of Christ, it also comes to pass that sin for us is no longer what we have done contrary to God’s Law. The Law played no part at all in making us righteous and acceptable before God, because by nature we cannot do this.What then is “sin” in view of the work of Christ? It is nothing else but the rejection of the Savior and the refusal to accept Him who can remove our sins from us. Where Christ is present, there is no sin. He brings with Him the Holy Spirit, who enkindles faith in our hearts and the desire to do what is good.The world is no longer convicted or condemned because of any other sin, for Christ has destroyed all sin. In the New Covenant, however, the only thing that is sin is failure to recognize Christ and to accept Him.SL 11:868 (8-9)PRAYER: Of Your mercy and grace, O God, imbue us with such knowledge and understanding of Your wonderful love in Christ that we never allow ourselves by any deception of self-love or the devil to be withdrawn from the circle of Your grace and mercy, in Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - MONDAYLESSON: JOHN 14:12-24“When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convince the world of sin … because they do not believe in me.” John 16:8-9The world is in a wretched plight. Not only is it ignorant of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement, but it cannot recognize this fact, not to mention the utter impossibility of getting rid of this ignorance.Here you see also how all credibility is taken from those who want to train others in the ways of godliness when they do not even know what sin is. It would be both interesting and instructive to examine our theological schools and learned theologians on the means of the one little word “sin.” Have you ever heard it said or taught that “sin” is not believing in Christ? They tell us that “sin” is to speak, desire, or do something contrary to God’s will and commandment.How does this agree with Christ’s statement here that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin “because they do not believe in me”? It is not so difficult to convict the world of being ignorant of sin, even though it is a very learned world. The world will not find it easy to explain this text.SL 11:866 (3)PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, keep us ever mindful of the seriousness of the sin of rejecting your salvation in Christ. Open our hearts by Your Holy Spirit so that we may cling firmly in true faith to Christ and all His blessings for us, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:5-15When he comes, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement. John 16:8When the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, comes, He will convince the world of blindness and ignorance. All men who have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, no matter how clever they may be thought to be by prevailing external circumstances, rules, or dealings, are fools and blind before God. They do not like being reminded of this. In fact, they become very cross and angry if you tell them that all their achievements count for nothing at all before God. They are quite sure that the reason and natural light that God has created in them must at least count for something.What can we reply?There stands the Scripture, the Word of God, plain and clear, telling us that the Holy Spirit will come and convince the world of ignorance in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgement.This is a fixed determination; it cannot be modified or changed. Let him who will, be angry; this is no concern of Christ here.SL 11:865 (2)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, pour Your Holy Spirit upon us in rich measure, so that we are not ignorant of Your Word and salvation like the world is in its blindness, but may at all times cling in firm faith to Your saving Word, the vehicle of Your enlightening Spirit. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - SATURDAYLESSON: PSALM 145:1-13“I go to the Father.” John 16:10Christ wanted His disciples to come to a clear understanding of His statement, “I go to the Father.” The meaning of this statement was hidden; not even the disciples knew what Jesus meant. Put into other words, Christ, instead of speaking about going to the Father, could simply have stated, “I must die, and you must also die.”According to his Old Adam, Peter wanted to die with the Lord; this was a kind of vision of grandeur for Peter. All of us, no doubt, would also volunteer to die with Christ as all the other disciples offered to do (Matthew 26:35). But all such ideas must disappear from our view of things; an hour must come for us when Christ is not at our side, not dying with us, when we know not where to look for help, like a woman in childbirth.When that hour arrives, you will come to the Father, that is, God fills you with power from on high, makes of you a new man who no longer has any fears, with a heavenly nature which raises itself in faith. Then you will become courageous and bold. Why? Because you have come to the Father.Who can ever overthrow the almighty power of God? No one! There is no one who can do anything to you that can really harm you.SL 11:840 (29)PRAYER: Bring us to the Father, Lord Jesus, that with the help of His almighty power we may overcome all our fears and difficulties and do our full duty as Your disciples, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3- FRIDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:3-11There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12We can never form a correct estimate of persecutions, trials, and other troubles, or understand them correctly, unless Christ Himself awakens and enlightens us, and His resurrection becomes a power in us. All our own pretentious doings must be shattered and accounted as nothing.In the Gospel for this week (John 16:16-23), we are given a powerful reminder that man with all his own powers is nothing. Here we have a condemnation and refutation of all that was formerly proclaimed about good works and all that may be claimed for good works in a similar way in the future. This much is quite clear: where Christ is absent, there is nothing significant for any Christian.Ask St. Peter how he was minded when Christ was not with him and what kind of good works he performed? He denied Christ and confirmed his denial with cursing and swearing (Matthew 26:74). Those are the kind of good works we perform when Christ is not with us.All this should help us to build on Christ alone and to rely on no other creature in heaven or on earth. In His name alone and in no other, there is preservation and salvation for us (Acts 4:12; 10:43).SL 11:836 (18-19)PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, enlighten us in such a way by Your Holy Spirit that we learn to trust with our whole hearts in the salvation that You alone have provided for us as the beginning and the ending of our Christian faith. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 33:13-22“You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22These words are spoken to all Christians. A Christian must face temptation, fear, distress, opposition, and sorrow in whatever manner they may arise. Jesus makes no mention here of suffering on a cross; He simply mentions “sorrow,” and that they will have reason to “weep and lament.”In the world, Christians always experience persecutions of many kinds. Some suffer the loss of goods; others come under disgrace and contempt as the result of evil rumors. Some are drowned; others burnt. Some even lose their head. One meets his end in this way; another in that way. It is the invariable experience of the Christian to suffer misfortune and persecution. Only rarely is he quite free from distress and opposition. He is always being belabored and flogged in some way or other, and he can look for nothing better as long as he is here on earth. This is the badge by which he is known. He who is a Christian must not be ashamed of this badge.Why does God act in this way? Why does He allow His children to be persecuted and hounded in this manner? He does it to subdue and suppress man’s free will so that man does not seek help and assistance from his own efforts, but, as far as free will is concerned, he becomes a fool in regard to the works of God and learns to trust and rely on God alone and not on himself.SL 11:835 (16-17)PRAYER: It is Your will, heavenly Father, that we must experience trials and tribulations as Your children in the midst of a hostile world. Strengthen our faith and endue us with the grace to squarely meet all our commitments, for the love of our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-19If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14Like the disciples of old, we are not slow in choosing crosses and sufferings for ourselves in the belief that we shall endure them without much difficulty. Peter declared boldly that he would rather die than deny Christ, and all the other disciples concurred with him (Matthew 26:35). But when the particular hour arrives, contrary to your expectation, you will hardly stand your ground unless you have become a new man. The Old Adam gives up very quickly and cannot stand up to any great pressure. To do that is quite contrary to his inclinations, purposes, and aims.So, you must have your own little hour in which you suffer for a time. Christ withdraws Himself from you and allows you to become enmeshed in the power of sin, death, and hell. Your heart will become powerless to devise a way of bringing peace to your conscience, do whatever it may. Christ goes on His way and dies. Then you will hear the little refrain: “A little while, and you will see me no more.”Where will you turn? There is no consolation, no help anywhere. You are held fast in the midst of sin, in the midst of death, in the midst of hell. If Christ did not come to you in this situation, without any merit on your part, you would have to remain forever in such fear and terror. This would also have been the situation of the disciples had Christ not risen and become alive again. Therefore, it was necessary for Him to rise again from the dead.SL 11:834 (12)  PRAYER: In the resurrection of Your Son, our Lord heavenly Father, you have given us sure and certain proof of the validity of His death for the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation. Grant us the full joy of believing this with our whole hearts, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - TUESDAYLESSON: HABAKKUK 2:2-4You have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. “For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry.” Hebrews 10:36-37The first “little while” which Jesus mentioned when He said, “A little while, and you will see me no more,” the disciples understood very soon after this when they saw Him taken captive and put to death. But the second “little while” when He said, “Again, a little while, and you will see me,” they could not comprehend. We cannot comprehend this either. Moreover, the explanation He offered, “Because I go to the Father” (v.10), was even less intelligible to them.This is also our experience. Although we know and hear that trials, misfortune, and sorrow are to endure only for “a little while,” existing circumstances always present a different picture from what we believe. We begin to have doubts and waver and find it difficult to resign ourselves to our allotted obligations. We hear well enough, and we know quite well that it will be only “a little while”; but just how things will turn out we do not know, as was the case with the disciples.If they cannot comprehend this, why does Jesus mention it to them? He says it so that we should not lose heart, but cling firmly to the Word, as He says, believing that it is quite sure and certain. We should be sure that matters cannot be otherwise than set forth in the Word, however much appearances may be to the contrary. Even if a man cannot at once believe the Word, God comes to his assistance. God does this without assistance from human reason, man’s free will, or any contribution by man. SL 11:832 (7-8) PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, to You we look for mercy, grace, and faith, so that we may confidently accept the promises and assurances of Your Word, for the sake of Him who is the Word, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - MONDAYLESSON: PSALM 30:1-5“A little while, and you will see me no more; again, a little while, and you will see me.” John 16:16“A little while,” Jesus says, “and you will see me no more.” He is about to be taken captive and put to death on the cross. But this will not be for long. During this “little while” they will certainly be sad. “But cling firmly to Me and follow me,” the Lord means to say to His disciples, “matters will soon take a turn for the better.” He would be in the grave for only three days, during which the world would rejoice as though it had triumphed over Him. And His disciples would mourn and weep.“Again, a little while, and you will see me,” says Jesus to His disciples, “because I go to the Father” (cf. John 16:10). He would rise again on the third day, and they would rejoice, and their joy no man would take from them. It would not be a joy just for three days like the joy of the world, but eternal joy. In these words, the evangelist John has set forth an excellent summary of the death and resurrection of Christ: “A little while, and you will see me no more; again, a little while, and you will see me.”The “little while” has special significance for us. Grief is but for a moment, a “little while,” as the Lord also reminds His children through Isaiah, “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment, I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:7-8).SL 11:831 (4-6)PRAYER: You have assured us, heavenly Father, that You will never lay a cross on us without supplying us with the strength to bear it and that joy will always follow our sorrows. Fix this firmly in our hearts by faith, so that we boldly endure unto the end, in and through Jesus and His love. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:16-23“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” John 16:20You see here how Christ announces to His disciples that they will become sad because He is about to leave them. They are still quite simple and unlearned, considerably disturbed by what Jesus said when He instituted His Holy Supper. They cannot understand what He is talking about. Indeed, the subject of Christ’s discussion here is too profound and incomprehensible for our weak, fallen nature. It was necessary for the disciples to be sorrowful before they experienced joy.Christ Himself is an example for us, to show us that we cannot enter glory without a cross. That is also why He said to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26).If the beloved disciples were about to experience great joy, it was necessary for them to have previously experienced great sadness. This joy, however, came to them from the Lord Jesus, for in the Gospel it is established that outside of Christ there is no joy. On the other hand, where Christ is, there is no sorrow, as we are clearly reminded in the text.SL 11:830 (2)PRAYER: In You alone, Lord Jesus, there is the true joy of salvation. Implant this in our hearts in full measure as our greatest treasure, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - SATURDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 5:13-16I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16The source of all power in Christ’s kingdom rests in God’s Word of truth and salvation. Those who hear that Word and believe it are members of God’s kingdom.Among the members of God’s kingdom, the Word becomes so powerful that it provides them with all that they need and brings them all the blessings they desire. For it is the power of God which both can and does save all who believe it, as Paul reminds the Romans.If you believe that Christ died to rescue you from every misfortune and cling to the Word on this basis, it becomes so sure and firm that no creature can overturn it. Even as no one can overthrow this Word, no one can really harm you, inasmuch as you believe in it. With this Word, then, you overcome sin, death, the devil, and hell, and eventually you will also find your refuge with the Word in eternal peace, joy, and life. In short, you will become a partaker of all the power and might which the Word contains.God’s kingdom is really a wonderful kingdom. The Word is in this kingdom and is orally proclaimed before the whole world. But the power of the Word is quite hidden; none become aware of the activity and great importance of the Word except those who believe. This must be experienced and tasted in the heart.SL 11:781 (7)PRAYER: Open our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, Lord God, that we always receive Your saving Word for what it is, the source of all our knowledge and power as Your children. Help us through Your means of grace to grow and increase as Your children, in and through Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - FRIDAYLESSON: PSALM 23He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. Ephesians 4:10You have heard how our Lord Jesus Christ, after His suffering and death, was translated and entered an immortal existence. We must not understand this to mean that Christ is now sitting idly up in heaven and that He is nothing but an object of continual joy to Himself alone. He has taken over the full kingship of His kingdom and is exercising full rule over His kingdom. He is the King of whom all the prophets and the whole of Scripture has so much to tell us. St. Paul says that he now fills all things. And so, we must ever regard Christ as being continually present in His kingdom and exercising the government of His kingdom.We must not hold the view that He is sitting up in heaven in a state of idleness, but that from heaven above He now rules and fills all things, as St. Paul reminds us. He is especially concerned with His kingdom, which exists wherever the Christian faith exists. Therefore, His kingdom is present in our midst here on earth. In regard to this kingdom, matters have been so ordained that it should improve and become purer from day to day. This kingdom is not ruled by any forms of outward authority and might but by the oral preaching of the Word of God and, more especially, by the preaching of the Gospel.SL 11:780 (6)PRAYER: Your presence in our midst, Lord Jesus, is a source of great consolation and joy to us at all times. Continue to bless us, especially in the proclamation of Your Word of salvation. Let it always have free course in our midst, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - THURSDAYLESSON: ROMANS 2:19-26The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17You have often heard how God sent a twofold proclamation into the world. The one is to proclaim God’s Word as Law and tell men: “You shall have no other gods before me.…You shall not kill, commit adultery, steal” (Exodus 20:3,13-15). In this proclamation, men also hear the threat that if they do not keep this Law they will die. This proclamation never succeeds in making a man truly righteous in his heart. For although a man is compelled by this proclamation to live a pious life outwardly before his fellow men, in his heart of hearts he is hostile to this Law and would prefer that it did not really exist.The other form in which God’s Word is proclaimed is the Gospel. This tells us where a man must look for the ability to do what the Law demands. The Gospel does not drive a man on with threats; it coaxes men in all friendliness. The Gospel does not say, “Do this; do that!” but, “Come, I will instruct you where you can receive and obtain the wherewithal to become truly acceptable to God. See, here is the Lord Jesus Christ. He will give you all this.”These two forms of proclamation are in opposition to each other, like taking and giving, demanding and donating, and one must get a good grasp of this distinction. This distinction has always played a very important role in God’s government of the world and still does. The Law must be preached to rough, uncouth men who have no knowledge at all of the Gospel. These men must come under the compulsion of the Law until they are mellowed and acknowledge their weaknesses. When they reach this stage, they are ready for the Gospel.   SL 11:778 (2-3)PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, continue to show us by Your holy Law that we are poor, lost, and condemned sinners when judged by our works, but above all, continue to let the light of Your wonderful Gospel shine into our hearts with its message of salvation, for Christ’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 85The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8In preaching Christ, it should be made quite clear that Christ rejects no one, no matter how weak he may be, but readily accepts everyone. He comforts and strengthens His sheep, like the good shepherd that He always is.If Christ is proclaimed in this way, as He really is, the hearts of men will incline to Him of their own accord. There will be no need to use compulsion or force in bringing men to Christ. The Gospel coaxes men and makes them willing so that they get real pleasure and satisfaction in serving Christ.A confident attitude also results from all this. Men begin to love Christ so that they gladly do all that He wants them to do. Confident obedience supplements all forces and compulsion. When we come under compulsion, we render obedience only with ill-will and reluctance. God does not want this. It is all wasted effort.When I begin to realize that the Lord is dealing with me in such a friendly manner, He takes hold of my heart so that I render Him ready obedience. Pleasure and real joy of heart follow.SL 11:786 (20)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are always ready to pardon and forgive us our sins rather than bring us to the judgement we so richly deserve. All this You have made very clear to us in the salvation which Your own Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, accomplished for us. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- TUESDAYLESSON: 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-6A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench. Isaiah 42:3Matthew declares that these words of Isaiah were fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 12:20). A bruised reed is a reed very close to breaking point. One who has received a very serious injury or is carrying a very heavy wound—that is, a Christian who is not only weak and stumbling, but who is overwhelmed in temptation, actually breaking a leg, so to say. It may be that he has fallen so deeply that he denies the Gospel, as Peter did when he denied Christ.Even if such a man has stumbled, suffering a reverse and a complete upset, you should not reject him as though he never belonged to Christ’s kingdom. You must allow Christ to retain His peculiar characteristic, that in His kingdom there is nothing but grace and mercy, pure and abounding. He is ever ready to help those who realize their wretchedness and misery, and who would be glad to get rid of it.Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom where men find true comfort and consolation. He is a consoling, friendly shepherd, coaxing and encouraging every man to draw close to Him. Christ alone is the one true, good shepherd who heals all ills and helps the fallen to rise again. He who does not do that is no shepherd.SL 11:785 (16-17)PRAYER: It is Your declared will, heavenly Father, that all men should learn to know Your mercy, grace, and salvation. Grant that we, too, may become entrusted to help fallen sinners to find real help and consolation, for Christ, our Savior’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - MONDAYLESSON: LUKE 5:27-32“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Matthew 9:12Even though we are weak and sickly, we should still not lose heart and begin to think that we do not belong to the kingdom of Christ. The more we become aware of our infirmities, the closer we should walk with Christ. For it is His office to heal us and to make us well.If you are sick and a sinner and feel your need, you have all the more reason to come to Him and say, “I come to you just because I am a sinner so that you may help me and rescue me from my sins.” In this way, your need drives you to Christ. For the greater your weakness, the more necessary it is for you to seek help and healing. That is also what He desires, and hence He coaxes us so that we joyfully approach Him.Those who are not such shepherds suppose that they can lick people into a godly shape by shouting at them clamorously in hostile fashion and bringing force to bear on them. They succeed only in making matters worse.One sees the result of this on all sides in today’s conditions. Matters have reached such a pass through the activity of hirelings in the Church that utter confusion prevails everywhere. “He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them” (John 10:12).SL 11:784 (15) PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, give us shepherds who really care for Your sheep and protect them from all hirelings, for Christ’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 10:11-16“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11Pastors can never become any more than the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the instruments whereby He continues to proclaim His Word visibly here on earth. He permits His Word to go out into public so that all may heart it, but the inward acceptance of the Word in the heart is a spiritual experience that takes place through faith. It is a hidden work of Christ. Christ accomplishes this work where He recognizes that it must be accomplished in accordance with His divine discernment and pleasure. That is why He also calls Himself “the good shepherd.”What is a “good shepherd”? “The good shepherd,” says Christ, “lays down his life for the sheep … And I lay down my life for the sheep.”This one great act really covers everything. To impress all this upon us, Christ uses a very pleasing illustration. A sheep is really a very foolish creature and usually regarded as a very simple creature. It is proverbial to say of a simple man, “He is a real sheep.” But the sheep possesses one very outstanding quality. It quickly learns to obey the voice of its shepherd, and normally follows no one but its shepherd. It is so constituted that it clings to its shepherd and looks to him for all help and assistance. It cannot help itself, provide pasture or any healing. It is powerless against wolves and is dependent entirely on the help of others.In this respect, the members of Christ’s kingdom are His sheep. In all their needs, they are dependent on Him and look to Him alone for needed help, support, protection, and their whole welfare.SL 11:781 (8-9) PRAYER: We know very well what rich blessedness is ours, Lord God, in being sheep of the Good Shepherd. Preserve us amidst all trials and difficulties here on earth by keeping us ever close to our Good Shepherd, Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - SATURDAYLESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:22-23This is a great and powerful authority which no one can adequately praise, bestowed upon poor mortal man and valid over sin, death, hell, and all things. The pope boasts that Christ has given him authority over all earthly and heavenly matters in the spiritual domain. This could be quite right, correctly understood. But he applies all this to the earthly sphere and government. This is not what Christ means.He is here conferring spiritual authority and government, and He means to say: “When you speak a word over a sinner, this word has also been spoken in heaven, and it avails as much as if God Himself had spoken it in heaven. For when you speak this word, God is in your mouth, and hence, this work is as powerful as a word spoken by God Himself.”It follows, therefore, that when Christ speaks a word because He is Lord over sin and death, and say to you, “Your sins are forgiven you,” then your sins must be gone, and nothing can gainsay it. On the other hand, if He declares, “Your sins are not forgiven you,” then they must remain unforgiven, and in this case not even an angel, or a saint, or any creature can forgive you those sins, even if you martyr yourself to death over them.It is this power to forgive sins that Christ confers on every individual Christian inasmuch as Christ has made all authority in heaven and on earth available to us (Matthew 28:18). Here Christ rules not in any material manner, but spiritually, and He also rules His Christians spiritually.SL 11:731 (15-16)PRAYER: Grant us Your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, the Spirit of truth and understanding, so that we may fully appreciate the very great authority which we enjoy to proclaim forgiveness to our neighbor, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 -FRIDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 4:9-16“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” John 20:21The most important work of love that any Christian can perform after coming to faith in Christ is to bring others to faith in the way he was brought to faith. In this connection, Christ lays an obligation upon every individual Christian and sets up the office of ministering the external Word. He Himself came to the disciples with this office and the external WordLet us grasp this clearly, for we must be told about it, and the Lord wants to tell us here, “You have enough from me: peace and joy, and all that you should have. For your own persons you need no more. Hence, get busy; take a close look at the picture and do as I have done to you! My father sent me into the world for your sakes alone, to help you, not to benefit myself. I have carried out His will, died for you, and given you all that I am and have. Think of this and do likewise. From now on, serve and help everyone else. Otherwise, there is nothing here on earth for you to do. Through faith, you already have enough of everything. And so, I send you out into the world as my Father has sent me. Every single Christian should instruct and teach his neighbor in order to bring him to faith.”This authority has not only been given to the pope and his bishops; it has been entrusted to all Christians. They should openly confess their faith to bring others to that faith as well.SL 11:730 (13)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, give us at all times a joyous faith and a ready tongue to confess You before men and to lead them to the joy of the salvation which is ours in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - THURSDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 2:14-17I can do all things in him [Christ] who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13If I really believe from the bottom of my heart that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His resurrection from the dead, has gained the victory over all that can distress me (sin, death, and all evil); that He wants to be close to me and with me so that there is nothing lacking to me in body and soul; that in Him I have enough of everything and that no misfortune can harm me; if I really believe all this, it becomes impossible for me to become faint-hearted and weak, no matter how heavily sin or even death press upon me.Faith is an ever-present reality telling me, “If sins oppress you and death terrifies you, fix your whole attention on Christ. He died and rose again for your sake; He has overcome all misfortune; what can really harm you?”If any other misfortune, such as sickness or poverty, presses heavily upon you, close your eyes to it and do not let your reason gain the upper hand. Cast yourself upon Christ and cling to Him; in this way, you will be strengthened and comforted. If you look to Christ and rest your faith in Him, no evil that you may encounter is so great that it can really harm you and make you despondent. Where true faith exists, peace must also follow. It cannot be otherwise.SL 11:728 (9) PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, heavenly Father, for the riches of all the blessings available to us in and through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially the wonderful peace of heart and mind which is ours even in the midst of trial and tribulation. Keep us ever in Your love and grace, in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1  - WEDNESDAYLESSON: ACTS 14:19-22We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character. Romans 5:3-4True Christian peace, which calms the heart and brings contentment to the soul, is not necessarily the accompaniment of a time when no misfortune is at hand, but it can come to men in the midst of misfortune, when all without is anything but peace. This is the difference between earthly peace and the peace of Christ.Earthly peace arises from the removal of the external evils that have destroyed peace. When foes assemble before a city, there is no peace; but if the foes are removed, peace is restored. The same hold for poverty and sickness; when they press upon you, you are discontented. But when they are removed and you are rid of your misfortune, you once again enjoy external peace and quiet. Such an alteration of fortune does not necessarily change a man; after his troubles are gone, he can remain just as dejected as he was before their removal. The only difference is that he felt them and was disturbed by them when they were present.Christian or spiritual peace brings about a change. Outwardly, misfortunes in the shape of enemies, sickness, poverty, sin, the devil, and death can certainly continue to press upon you without intermission. In spite of all that, as a Christian you have peace, strength, and consolation inwardly in your heart. A Christian heart is never unduly disturbed by misfortune, and indeed, it is even more courageous and joyful in the face of misfortune than when the latter is absent. That is why it is called by St. Paul a peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).SL 11:726 (7-8)PRAYER: Grant us Your grace, heavenly Father, so that we may never waver in our faith but ever stand fast in the peace and hope secured for us and assigned to us in and through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.