SERMON for The 2nd SUNDAY after PENTECOST: May 25, 2008
"You Are Rich"
In der Liebe Christi,
Rev. Kurt Hering, Pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church
Layton, UT
TEXT: Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you."
Dearly beloved of God,
You are rich!
As we heard in last week's sermon, with the words, "In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," our heavenly Father opens
the kingdom of heaven to all believers. That means you have access to God
and all His blessings - now and forever. Therefore, Luther says by this text
our Lord Jesus Christ is saying, "If [one is] a true Christian [he] would
say: 'The [moment] the Gospel is received, there comes to me a hundred
thousand dollars, and much more. For if I possess this treasure [of the
forgiveness of sins], I have all that is in heaven and upon earth.'"
Of course, one hundred thousand dollars doesn't go as far as it did in
Luther's time. But I hope you get the point. There is no one so rich as is
the baptized child of God. That is why when we pray, "Give us this day our
daily bread," we know "God certainly gives daily bread - [that is,
everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body] -- to
everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this
petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily
bread with thanksgiving."
And lest we forget that all this daily bread means nothing if we are
separated from God by our own sinful desires for more than daily bread, our
Lord has us pray, "Forgive us our trespasses," directly following the
petition for daily bread. Indeed this forgiveness of sin is the daily bread
from heaven of which Jesus speaks when He calls himself the "bread of life,"
apart from which no one knows the Father or will see the kingdom of heaven.
"We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our
sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the
things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He
would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve
nothing but punishment."
Tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the United States of America. It is a day
set aside by order of our government to honor those men and women who have
died in the service of our country, in service to you, in order that you can
be free to live your life as you so choose - in the pursuit of happiness.
However, truth be told, how many people do you think actually take time to
do that, to honor those who have given their lives and thank God for the
sacrifice they made in order that you might live and be free to do such
things as camp and hunt and fish and go to ball games and watch T.V. and go
to movies and own a home . . . . and to be able to gather and hear the
precious Gospel of the forgiveness of your sins that keeps you with Christ
Jesus in the one true faith that is the kingdom of heaven on earth?
The greatest gift you have as an American citizen is the freedom to worship.
And the greatest gift that comes to you only in the right worship of God is
the forgiveness of sins that grants you citizenship in the kingdom of
heaven.
Therefore, when Jesus says rather than worry about food and clothing and the
pursuit of happiness like the pagans due, "seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" He is saying
"above all things that a person should listen to Christ and accept the
Gospel." [Luther]
This portion of Jesus sermon on the mount is in fact an explanation of the
first table of the Law, the first three commandments. In telling His
disciples not to worry about tomorrow and all the things they fear they
might have to go without, Jesus is reminding them to have no other gods and
to fear, love, and trust in none other than the One who daily and richly
provides all the things unbelievers worry about and spend their lives
pursuing. "Seek first His kingdom," means to "call upon His name in every
trouble, pray, praise and give thanks." And to call upon His name we are to
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, that is, to not despise
preaching and His word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it" -
not in order to please God, win His attention, and persuade Him to help us
in our time of need, but because by hearing and learning His Word we
discover how we are the crown of God's creation, whom He loves, and for whom
He has given all - the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, and even
His only begotten Son -- that we might enjoy life and happiness forever as
His good gift rather than our fruitless pursuit.
Interestingly enough, this sermon is given to His disciples. Why? In order
that they might not give up the one thing needful for them and all who will
hear and believe through their message out of fear for their bodily needs.
Jesus, in telling His disciples to "seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you," is extolling
them always to be about studying His Word in order that they can faithfully
deliver it to His people for their salvation and eternal life. He is telling
the disciples and all whom He will call to be the bearers of the Gospel that
if He cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field how much
more will He not make sure that those who bring the good news of salvation
and the kingdom of heaven are provided every earthly need so they can
accomplish this work of God.
In other words, the concern of His called servants of the Word is always to
be strictly about serving up that Word of the forgiveness of sins to the
baptized. And Jesus' promise is that He will always provide daily bread for
them while they are serving the Bread of Life to His people. Never mind the
fund raising. Never mind preaching to the budget and collection plate. Never
mind the incessant counting of heads other than to discover who might be
missing that they might be sought after and brought back into the fold. The
Lord knows we need these things and will provide them according to His
means. No the pastors are to be all about the delivery of the forgiveness of
sins.
This means you can be all about what it is you have been given to do without
ever worrying if you have done enough, well enough to be saved. Since the
preaching of the kingdom of God is what delivers the kingdom of heaven to
you and you into the kingdom of heaven you no longer need to pursue
happiness. It has been given to you so that rather than fighting for your
own life you can devote your life to such things as loving and providing for
your spouse and children. You are free from the cares of the world so that
you can serve the people of the world in your vocations in the workplace, in
the neighborhood, as citizens, as baptized children of God looking out for
one another's welfare and making sure that your family and brothers and
sisters in Christ have a place to gather around the Word of God and a
servant to deliver and teach that Word in all its truth and purity.
Yes dear people of God, you are rich beyond measure. Pray God that you will
always, "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you." For in the kingdom of God all of your sins
are forgiven and life is yours in abundance - in the name of the Father, and
of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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