Episodi
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THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT - MONDAY
LESSON: 2 PETER 3:1-11
When these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28
You might feel inclined to say in this context, “Who could possibly raise his head in the face of such wrath and judgement? Will not the whole world rather lower its head in terror and look downwards in fear and dismay? How are we in such a situation to look up and raise our heads?” The latter without a doubt signifies joy and eager longing.
The answer to this is: All this is spoken to Christians alone – to real Christians, not to the heathen or the Jews. Real Christians are involved in great temptations and persecutions from sins and all kinds of evil, so that this life often becomes distasteful and quite ugly for them. And so they wait with eager longing and pray to be delivered from sins and all evil, as is also said in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come,” and “deliver us from evil.”
If we are real Christians, we will also pray this earnestly from the depths of our heart. If we do not pray this earnestly from our hearts, we are not yet real Christians.
SL.XI.61,37
AE 75,92PRAYER: O Lord, you have so often promised in your Word to deliver us from all the trials and tribulations which we experience in a world of sin and sadness. Receive us into your heavenly kingdom, for your truth’s sake. Amen.
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THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT - SUNDAY
LESSON: LUKE 21:25-33
Then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:27
Here you can interpret “power” as referring to the host of angels, saints, and all creatures who will accompany Christ on His coming to judgement. This I consider to be the correct interpretation. The evangelist does not just say, “He will come,” but “they will see the Son of man coming.”
He also came into the world by bodily birth, but that coming was seen by no one. He also comes daily into the hearts of believers in a spiritual manner by means of the Gospel. This coming is also seen by no one.
But his second coming will take place in a public manner in which all men will see Him, as is declared in the book of Revelation: “every eye will see him” [1:7]. They will see that He is none other than the human being Jesus Christ in bodily form, as He was born of Mary and recognized here on earth. He could have merely said, “they will see Me,” without any obvious reference to His human form. But He says here that they will see the Son of man. By this He clearly states that He is referring to a bodily seeing of Himself in human form.
This will take place in great power, with a great host of angels and in great glory. He will sit on a bright cloud and with Him He will bring all the saints. Of His coming, Scripture speaks quite often. It is something of very great importance.
SL.XI.60,36
AE 75,91PRAYER: Lord, keep us ever mindful of your second glorious coming to judgement so that we, with all your saints, may ever dwell with you in the blessed kingdom you have prepared for us, for your love’s sake. Amen.
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Episodi mancanti?
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THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT - SATURDAY
LESSON: PSALM 25:11-22
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
The daughter of Zion receives twofold gifts from Christ. The first is faith and the Spirit in the heart, whereby she is cleansed and freed from sins. The second is Christ himself. And she can glory in the blessings received from Christ just as though all that Christ is and has is her very own, so that she may rely on Christ as her inheritance. Of this Paul speaks when he reminds us that Christ is our Mediator before God (Romans 8:34). If He is our Mediator, He accepts us as His own and we, for our part, accept Him as our own.
In Corinthians, Paul also states that Christ in us is made by God to be our righteousness, wisdom, holiness, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Isaiah says concerning the two-fold gifts, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1,2.
Here, “He comes to you” means, “for your good, as your very own.” Inasmuch as He is your King, you receive grace from Him in your heart. He keeps you from sin and death, and also becomes your King with you as His subject. But inasmuch as He comes to you, He becomes your sin so that you gain command also of His blessings.
This is a delightful and comforting Word! Who is going to despair or become fearful of death and hell if he believes these words and wins Christ as His very own?
SL.XI.10,27
AE 75,35PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, loving heavenly Father, for the wonderful gifts of grace which you have so richly bestowed on us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT – FRIDAY
LESSON: 1 PETER 2:21-25
To you. Matthew 21:5
“Your king is coming to you.” You do not seek Him, you do not find Him, He finds you; for the preachers come from Him, not from you; their preaching come from Him, not from you; your faith comes from Him, not from you; and all that faith works in you comes from Him, not from you. So you see quite well that if He did not come to you, you would remain on the outside where there is no Gospel and no God, only sin and corruption.
Therefore, do not ask for a beginning of a godly life. There is no beginning of such a life except where this King comes and is proclaimed.
He comes “to you.” “To you” – what is this? Is it not enough that He is “your king”? If He is yours, why does the text say, He comes “to you”?
All that is set forth here by the prophet to depict Christ in the most loving manner and to urge us to faith. It is not enough for Christ to save us from the tyranny and dominion of sin, death, and hell and to become our King. He must give Himself as our very own so that all that He is and has becomes ours. St. Paul speaks of this when he says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” Romans 8:32.
SL.XI.9,25-26
AE 75,35PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our King, rule supreme and alone in our hearts and souls so that all the treasures of your truth and salvation may be ours personally now and forever. Amen.
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THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT - THURSDAY
LESSON: PSALM 25:1-10
Your king is coming to you. Matthew 21:5
Learn from this Gospel what happens when God begins to make us godly, and what is the beginning of becoming godly. There is no other beginning but the fact that your King comes to you and begins to work in you.
This comes to pass as follows. The Gospel must be the very first thing in this context; it must be preached and heard. In this you hear and learn how your work is nothing before God and that all you do or attempt is sin. But your King must be in you beforehand and rule you. That is the beginning of your salvation. You then give up your own work, and despair of self, because you hear and see that your own work is nothing, as the Gospel tells you. You begin to receive your King through faith, you cling to Him, invoke His grace, and entrust yourself solely to His goodness.
That you hear and accept this is also not of your own strength but of God’s grace, which has made the Gospel fruitful in you, so that you believe Him when He declares that your own work is nothing.
You see how few there are who accept His grace. Jesus also wept over Jerusalem. The papists not only reject this doctrine but actually condemn it. They do not want their own work to be sin and nothing. They want to lay the first stone and they rage and storm against the Gospel.
SL.XI.8,23
AE 75,35PRAYER: O Lord, take from our hearts all self-pride and trust in our own works and efforts, and grant us grace to trust solely and wholly in your mercy and grace, granted us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
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THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT - WEDNESDAY
LESSON: PSALM 24
Your king. Matthew 21:5
Here this King is separated from all other kings. He is “your king,” the one promised to you and whose own you are. He is the one who rules you and no one else. But His rule is a spiritual, not a secular, rule.
This is a comforting word for the believing heart, for apart from Christ, man is subjected to many raging tyrants who are not kings but murderers. Under these he endures great misery and terror.
Such tyrants include the devil, the flesh, the world, and sin, as well as the law, death, and hell. At the hands of all these the wretched conscience is oppressed, suffers heavy imprisonment, and lives a bitter, uneasy life. For where sins are, there is no conscience; where there is no good conscience, everything is quite uncertain and there is unending fear of death and hell before which there can be no firm joy or delight in the heart. As Moses declares, such a heart is terrified at the rustling of a leaf (Leviticus 26:36).
Wherever a heart receives this King in firm faith, it becomes established and does not fear sin, death, hell, or any misfortune. It knows and does not doubt that this King is the Lord over life and death, sin and grace, hell and heaven, and that all things are in His hands.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, my King, establish your rule in my heart in such a way that my heart becomes your throne, and peace and joy may reign therein for evermore. Amen.
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THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT – TUESDAY
LESSON: HEBREWS 10:19-25
Behold! Matthew 21:5
“Behold!” Mark this word well. With this word the Holy Spirit wakens us from sleep and unbelief as one who wants to set forth something important, strange, and noteworthy which one has long desired and should receive with joy. And we really need such an awakening, because our reason and nature despises all that concerns faith and finds it most unsuitable.
How can it possibly be that this man who rides along in such poverty and humility should be the King of Jerusalem and that He is riding only a strange, hired ass? How can nature and reason possibly grasp this? How can such an entrance be squared with that of a great King?
Faith is of such a kind that it does not judge and follow according to what it sees and feels but according to what it hears. It clings to the Word alone. Appearance and outward looks count for nothing at all. Therefore the only ones here who really accepted Christ as a King were those who followed the word of the prophet. They believed in Christ and His kingdom not with their eyes, but accept Him with the spirit.
These are also the true “daughter of Zion.” For the man who wants to follow Christ according to outward appearance and feeling cannot avoid becoming offended at Him. One must cling firmly to the pure Word alone.
SL.XI.4,14
AE 75,29PRAYER: Enable us at all times, O Lord, to cling with all our faith to your pure Word alone, so that we behold you as you really are and thus ever cling to you in love and obedience, for your truth’s sake. Amen.
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LESSON: LUKE 1:68-79
Faith apart from works is dead. James 2:26
Faith is of two sorts. The first is that you believe that Christ is a man like the Christ described and proclaimed in the whole Gospel, but you do not actually believe that He is such a man for you. You have your doubts that all He achieved is for you. It may be for St. Peter, Paul, and the holy saints, but you are not at all sure that it is for you.
Such a faith is really nothing. It never really receives Christ or tastes of the things that really count in Him. Even the devils have this faith.
The one faith which is entitled to be called real, true Christian faith is to believe without any wavering that Christ is not only such a man for St. Peter and the saints, but also for you, indeed, for you more than for all others.
Your salvation does not consist in believing that Christ is a Christ for the pious, but that He is a Christ for you and is yours.
This faith brings it to pass that He pleases you in a most delightful manner. Then love and good works follow without any compulsion.
If works do not follow, it is quite certain that faith is really absent. Where faith exists, the Holy Spirit is also present working love and what is good in us.
SL.XI.2,8-9
AE 75,28PRAYER: Bestow your Holy Spirit upon us, O Lord, to lead us into true faith, active in love and producing the works pleasing to you, for the welfare of your kingdom and our neighbor. Amen.
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THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT – SUNDAY
LESSON: MATTHEW 21:1-9
Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass. Matthew 21.5
This Gospel in a special manner arouses and demands faith. It portrays Christ in His coming grace. No one can really receive and accept Him unless he believes that He is the man in the sense portrayed in this Gospel. All that is set forth here in Christ is pure grace, gentleness and goodness. He who believes this regarding Christ is saved.
Look at Him! He rides no stallion, an animal mostly associated with war. He does not come in splendor and animal, accustomed to burdens and toil in the service of men. In this way He shows that He comes not to tempt men, nor to come down upon them with force and suppress them, but to them, to bear their burden and to take it upon Himself.
Although it was the time-honoured custom of the country to ride on asses and to use horses for war, as often recorded in Scripture, all that is narrated here is intended ot make known how this King rides in gently, with nothing but good intent.
To demonstrate this point, a prophetic statement is introduced here (Zechariah 9.9) to draw us to faith and the acceptance of Christ in a very friendly manner. For the sake of this statement, the events of this Gospel took place and were set down in writing as the evangelist also declares. Let us pay careful attention to this statement and the chief point of this Gospel, for herein Christ is highlighted for us in regard to what we are to hold and believe concerning Him, what we are to expect from Him, what we are to seek in Him, and how we are to avail ourselves of His help and make use of Him.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, fill us at all times with your saving grace. Lead us to true faith and preserve us therein, for your love’s sake. Amen.
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LESSON: REVELATION 7:9‒12
Whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. 1 John 5:4
You cannot train the youth in particular for God’s kingdom without proper schools nor uphold the Word of God without preaching it from the pulpit. If one allows schools and the pulpit to decline and disappear, one can only expect a Sodom and Gomorrah to eventuate. One must expect also results like those which fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah when these cities cast off the restraints of God’s Word and no longer listened to pious Lot or tolerated him.
The prophet Ezekiel faced a similar situation when he prophesied concerning Jerusalem, “As I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, surfeit of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before Me; therefore I removed them, when I saw it” (Ezekiel 16:48‒50).
This is how matters stand on all sides today. Every man—the peasant, the burgher (citizen), the nobleman—gathers together nothing but money; he keeps on scraping in his greed, gluttonizes and imbibes and carries on just as if God were nothing at all. No one takes up the beggar’s staff of the poor Christ, but rather tramples it underfoot. As in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, all obedience, discipline, and respect will go by the board. No amount of admonition and preaching seems to have any results, and evils seem only to increase so that it does not appear that we can continue like this much longer.
SL.XI.1898,32‒33
PRAYER: Give us courage and strength at all times, O God, to carry on bravely in the midst of pressing difficulties and even indifference and opposition. Prove Yourself to be God for us by giving us a faith that really overcomes the world, for Christ the Savior’s sake. Amen.
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LESSON: MATTHEW 10:32‒33
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body. 2 Corinthians 5:10
Those hearts are established and sure which await Christ’s judgment seat joyfully and with a good conscience. For they belong to the group and fellowship of those who believe in Christ, and demonstrate the fruits of their faith in the love and goodness they bestow on the poor, or in the patience with which they suffer with them. He who does not have this faith will not practice these works of mercy on his fellow Christians. But he who does these works, and does them because he believes that he has a faithful Savior and Redeemer in Christ who has reconciled him to God, must also have a good and friendly heart towards his neighbor and even towards his enemies, helping them whenever he sees them in need. To be sure, he also has his own sufferings in the opposition his faith encounters from the devil and the world.
He who is thus minded, I say, should be joyful and in good spirits. He may well already apply to himself the blessed and joyful judgment, “Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). He may well regard himself as “one of the least” of Christ’s brethren, one who has himself suffered hunger and thirst or has served the hungry and the thirsty and shown them mercy, as Christ has shown him mercy.
SL.XI.1894,24
PRAYER: Of Your mercy and grace, Lord Jesus, give us at all times a loving heart life Your own heart so that we abound in fruits of faith to our brethren and fellowmen, for Your name’s sake. Amen.
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LESSON: 1 THESSALONIANS 2:11‒13
You are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:7
Our Lord, come! 1 Corinthians 16:22
See to it that you are always numbered among those who are good and merciful for Christ’s sake, or suffering for His sake. Then you can await the last day with joy and not be afraid of the judgment. For He has already drawn you out and set you up among those on His right hand.
We who are Christians should have the earnest desire and hope that the judgment would come, as we also pray in the words, “Thy kingdom come” and “Thy will be done” and “Deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:10, 13). Hence we shall also rejoice to hear the words, “Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). For this judgment we are waiting. This is one of our chief concerns as Christians. For the sake of this hope, we suffer oppression both from the devil and our own flesh, who try to upset our faith and joy in this regard. Then, too, we have to endure the tyranny and enmity of the world.
On all sides, we are forced to see and to hear the wanton malice which the devil and the world continually stir up against the Gospel, and so much wretchedness here on earth that we should become thoroughly fed up with this life and cry, “Come, dear Lord, come and redeem us!”
SL.XI.1893,22‒23
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, as Your disciples we look forward with joyful anticipation to Your coming to carry out Your work of judgment and to receive us to Yourself. Of Your mercy and grace, keep us ever steadfast in the faith so that Your glorious coming may be for us the consummation of all our hopes and joy, for Your love’s sake. Amen.
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LESSON: PSALM 143:7‒12
“Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” Matthew 25:34
Why does Jesus use the fifth commandment to assess our works of mercy and to point out how men have failed in this respect?
Those of us who have been called as Christians have obtained mercy through our Lord and have been rescued from God’s wrath and eternal death, receiving in place of all this a gracious God who bestows all that is good upon us in time and eternity. He wants to remind us that we have received all this from God, not only for our salvation, but that we should also regard it as an example to be followed in our own conduct. Because God has shown us mercy that we are not lost in body and soul, we should always act in such a way towards our neighbor that we never come into conflict with the fifth commandment, which basically demands love and mercy.
We should do this not merely for the sake of the commandment, or any threat of judgment, but because of the example we have received in the exceptionally high and rich goodness that God has manifested to us. This example should not remain without fruit, just as God’s work of redemption is not without power and fruit.
Although the majority of the hearers may become worse after hearing the Gospel, there must always be some who grasp it correctly and abide by it. For He tells us that He will separate them into two distinct groups. Some of the hearers will prove themselves to have been devout and godly hearers who obey this commandment.
SL.XI.1893,21
PRAYER: Bestow such a measure of grace upon us, O Lord, that our faith overflows in love and goodness towards our fellowmen, for Christ’s sake. Amen.
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LESSON: MATTHEW 10:40‒42
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will say to those at His left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Matthew 25:40‒41
If such a terrible and drastic condemnation awaits those who have neglected works of love towards their brethren, what is to become of those who have not only neglected such opportunities, have given Christ nothing, have rendered Him no service at all in His poor ones, but have even robbed them of what they had and forced them into hunger, thirst, and need and, in addition, have even persecuted, hounded, captured, and murdered them?
Such men are so incontrovertibly wicked and damned into such depths of hell with the devil and his angels that He no longer thinks of them here or speaks of them in particular. But it can be regarded as quite certain that He will not forget such robbers, tyrants, and bloodhounds just as certainly as He will not forget or leave unrequited those who have suffered hunger, thirst, destitution, and persecution, more particularly for the sake of Christ and His Word.
Even here he does not actually forget the latter, although He is speaking in particular to those who have had mercy on those in need and have helped them. On these He bestows high and glorious praise when He says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).
SL.XI.1891, 17
PRAYER: Lord God, we thank and praise You for the clear warnings of Your Word in which You urge upon us an earnest and consistent profession of our faith. In Your mercy and grace, grant us also such obedience of faith that we may always be certain of receiving our Lord’s approval when He comes to judge the living and the dead. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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LESSON: LUKE 19:11‒26
“As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.” Matthew 25:45
What do you think that Christ on His judgment seat will say in all brevity to such an unchristian lack of mercy? This is what He will say: “You want to be called a Christian and you make your boast of the Gospel. Did you never hear this sermon which I Myself preached warning you what My judgment and final sentence would be? ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me’ (Matthew 25:41‒43). Why have you disregarded all this and acted more disgracefully and more unmercifully against your own brethren than a Turk or a heathen? Are you thinking of making matters right for yourself by offering the excuse, ‘When did I see my brother in any of these situations or conditions?’ Here your own conscience will remind you that there were those of your acquaintance who preached to you, or poor scholars who should have been taught and trained in the Word of God, as well as persecuted, poor, and needy Christians, who should have been given food, drink, and clothing, and also visited.”
Surely we should hang our heads in shame over against our parents and forefathers, the lords and kings, princes and others, who so richly and benevolently gave gifts even to a point of excess to churches, parishes, schools, institutions, hospitals, and the like, as a result of which neither they nor their descendants became any poorer. What would they have done if they had had the light of the Gospel which we have received?
SL.XI.1890,14‒15
PRAYER: Lord our God, in Your Gospel of salvation You have supplied us richly with the most precious gifts and blessings that we can ever enjoy. Strengthen us at all times with Your grace that we may make full use of all these blessings in love towards our brethren and fellowmen, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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THE WEEK OF TRINITY XXVI - SUNDAY
LESSON: MATTHEW 25:31‒42
“Men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Luke 13:29‒30
In this Gospel, great prominence is given to good works as proof of the possession or absence of true faith. Those on Christ’s right hand at the judgment, the sheep, have proved the genuineness of their faith in works of love to needy brethren. Those on His left hand, the goats, who have been rejected for eternal punishment in hell, have proved that they really had no saving faith at all by the absence of such works of love to their brethren. Here Christ also indicates that there are many among those regarded as Christians who actually become worse than heathen after hearing the preaching of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins and of God’s grace through Christ. Christ Himself declared, “Many that are first will be last, and the last first” (Matthew 19:30).
At the final judgment, it will become quite evident that many of those who should have proved themselves to be true Christians because they heard the Gospel actually became worse and more unmerciful than they were before. One sees clear evidence of this on all sides today. Previously, when good works were enjoined under papal perversions and false acts of worship, everyone was ready and willing to do good works. A single prince or one city was able to provide greater and richer endowments and alms than can be provided today by the joint efforts of all kings and the Emperor.
Today the whole world has learned nothing else but to lay others under contribution, to practice oppression, open robbery, and stealth by means of lies, deceit, usury, overcharging, and other pressures. Every man tries to gain an advantage over his neighbor, as though he regarded him not as a friend and even much less as a brother in Christ.
SL.XI.1888,9‒12
PRAYER: Never let our faith die as a result of greed and selfishness, O God, but let it always be in us a real power unto salvation, productive of many good works, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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THE WEEK OF TRINITY XXV - SATURDAY
LESSON: MATTHEW 24:36‒44
“For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man.” Matthew 24:27
Christ means to say here: “Do not believe it if some attempt is made to make you believe that Christ is limited to this place or that place and someone tries to lead you from faith to works. I warn you not to fall away from pure faith. You do not know at what hour I will come again. When no one is really expecting it, I will suddenly be here again as quickly as a flash of lightning lights up the heavens. Those who have not kept the faith will then be lost. See to it that the day does not come upon you unawares. Be strong in faith so that you do not become lazy and sleepy and the devil tears you away from faith.”
These words are simply written down here one after the other, without order. Matthew heaps up everything here without order. So the following words do not really fit in very well here: “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together” (Matthew 24:28).
What He means is that we should not ask for the exact place where Christ will come again. “No matter where I am, we shall probably find each other, as we say, ‘Wherever there is a body, there the eagles will gather together.’ Eagles do not fly to some particular spot that they have selected for themselves; but wherever there is a body they gather together. Hence those who are Mine will doubtless find Me. Where I am, My chosen ones will also be.”
This text speaks of the end of the Jews and of the world. Matthew mingles this with the signs of the last day. Luke writes of these matters quite clearly.
SL.XI.1883,29‒30
AE. 79:324-336PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You have taught us clearly in Your Word that this world will end, and that Your Son Jesus Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Keep us strong in faith so that we are always prepared to meet Christ when He comes again, trusting in His merits and clothes in His righteousness, for Your mercy and truth’s sake. Amen.
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THE WEEK OF TRINITY XXV - FRIDAY
LESSON: LUKE 17:22‒37
“If they say to you, ‘Lo, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Lo, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” Matthew 24:26
At the time of the holy fathers, like Anthony and others, shortly after the time of the apostles, the error of which Christ spoke here had already arisen, although strongly opposed by Anthony. Everybody became interested in the wilderness, and many thousands of saints made their homes there. This kind of devotion soon gained such repute and publicity that Jerome and Augustine became its adoring devotees and could not praise it highly enough.
If we look at this business without blinkers on, however, we see that Christ’s words here in the text are absolutely opposed to it, and that among all these thousands there were many heretics who must have been damned. Although there were also holy people in the deserts who escaped being seduced, the example they set was certainly dangerous and not to be held up for emulation.
The Christian life must not simply be linked with the desert but must be allowed freedom to develop everywhere. Christ lived His life here on earth in the midst of the world, and so also did His apostles. It is Christ’s will that we should step out into the world even today to preach publicly and exhort men to come to Christ.
Those who went out into the wilderness simply forsook their fellowmen and refused to stay in the world because they thought that they were being called upon to suffer too much in this world. They chose their own ascetic way of life because they wanted to be higher-ranking Christians than the others who remained in the world.
SL.XI.1882,28
AE. 79:324-336PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, it is Your will that we should spend our lives in the midst of our fellowmen here in this world. Give us at all times the insights and the love to really serve our fellowmen in a way that will bring them, together with us, to the enjoyment of the blessings You have prepared for us, through Christ our Savior. Amen.
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THE WEEK OF TRINITY XXV - THURSDAY
LESSON: JOHN 6:66‒69
Jesus 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 8:12
Christ’s words lie before us plain and clear. We must believe them and let them stand. We cannot get over them, even though the holy angels in heaven opposed them. Is not Christ holier than they are, and should not His Word have as much authority as theirs? He does not speak of many, nor of the large body who always make up the majority, but of the smallest group made up from the elect. These are going to stumble to such an extent that there is every likelihood that they could be misled. He warns us not to cling to them when we see them clinging to mere externals. If they never err, then Christ cannot be quite truthful in making this announcement. Hence, even if all the saints were to come forward and tell me to believe in the pope, I will still not do so, saying, “Even though you are the elect, Christ has said that there will be such terrible and dangerous times that even you will err.”
We must cling alone to Scripture and God’s Word which declares that He is not here or there. I must be where He is. He is not necessarily where my work or particular rank is. Anyone who teaches me otherwise deceives me. Hence, I repeat, there is no point in raising the objection that the holy fathers and teachers held such and such a view, and lived such and such a life, and therefore we must hold the same views and live the same lives.
The only argument we admit runs as follows: “Christ taught and held such and such views, and therefore we must also hold these views.” Christ has more authority for us than all the saints.
SL.XI.1881,27
AE. 79:324-336PRAYER: As Your beloved children, heavenly Father, we must always believe and obey You rather than men. Fill our hearts with such trust and confidence that we always obey Your Word, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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THE WEEK OF TRINITY XXV - WEDNESDAY
LESSON: MARK 13:14‒23
“False Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24
These are choice, earnest, but also terrible words that these preachers of works will push such teaching into the people with such outward glitter and emphasis that even the saints who stand fast in the faith will not be able to guard themselves against it, but will join in error with the rest. This is indeed what happened. The dear fathers, Augustine, Jerome, together with St. Bernard, Gregory, Francis, Dominic, and many others, although they were holy, nevertheless all fell at times into error, as I have often demonstrated elsewhere.
Their error was the error of their time. Together with their contemporaries, they tied Christianity to certain external practices, and they pushed matters so far that they adopted such practices outwardly in their lives. We see this in the books of St. Bernard. He writes very poorly in reply to questions on the monastic vocation. But when he writes freely out of his inner Christian spirit, he is a fine preacher whom it is a pleasure to hear. This is also the case with Augustine, Jerome, and Cyprian, the fine Christian martyrs. When they were asked a question about the Law or external ordinances, whether one should observe them this way or that, they flopped right into things so that they came very close to being misled.
This is still one of the chief objections we hear from our opponents. “Could so many holy men and teachers have erred, and could God have forsaken the world to such an extent?” they ask us. They do not see how this passage really turns them topsy-turvy.
SL.XI.1880,26
AE. 79:324-336PRAYER: We know how easy it is, heavenly Father, for even outstanding believers and teachers to fall into error. Guide us by Your Holy Spirit into the truth and keep us in it, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
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