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The sermon for Aug. 3 was based on Luke 18:9-14.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Unless you come before God with the humble, penitent attitude of the tax
collector, with knowledge of your guilt, with an acknowledgment of your complete
unworthiness of God's grace, and with trust in God's mercy in Christ, you will
not go home justified. This whole service, the hymns, the liturgy, and this
sermon are all built on this basic truth: You are a sinner, and need a Savior.
God resists the proud. He who seeks to justify himself will find no acceptance
with God. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled." (14) Good
works are not sufficient to earn divine favor. "Unless your righteousness
exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means
enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:20) Your own deeds and virtues will
by no means save you. Only he who casts his own virtues and goodness aside as
filthy rags and stands before God as a needy, helpless sinner can hope to be
received into the Lord's favor. For, as you see in the case of the tax
collector, God gives grace to the humble.
When the tax collector entered the Temple, he stood "afar off," away
from the public eye. There was no pride in him. He was so thoroughly ashamed of
himself that he "would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven." His
sins troubled his conscience. His unworthiness weighed upon him like a heavy
burden. He was utterly crushed by the multitude of his transgressions. And yet
he did not despair. He knew God to be just and holy, but he also knew Him to be
merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Therefore
he prayed: "God, be merciful to me a sinner." (13)
The tax collector trusted in the mercy and grace of God for forgiveness. He
sought refuge at the mercy-seat of God and firmly believed that the Lord would
pardon his many sins. He had no other hope, no other boast. He knew he was
guilty before God, and offered no excuses for his transgressions. He pleaded
guilty, and appealed to the grace and mercy of the righteous Judge, who alone
could free him.
The confession of the tax collector revealed an honest faith. He realized that
he was standing in the presence of God, who knows what is in the heart of man.
For that reason he did not try to conceal anything, nor did he make excuses or
place himself in a more favorable light. He measured himself with the yardstick
of God's Law and found himself wanting. He stood afar off in humility, and would
not so much as lift his eyes to heaven for shame. He knew his faults and sins.
He knew himself purely and simply as an unworthy sinner. He said in plain words:
"I am a sinner."
The confession of the tax collector also revealed a penitent faith. He did not
consider his sins little or trivial, but like a heavy burden they weighed down
his soul. The weight was so heavy that it almost crushed him. The knowledge that
he had sorely grieved his God with his many sins caused him to smite his breast
and to weep tears of repentance. That is why he stood afar off and would not as
much as lift up his eyes, but merely smote his breast and said: "God, be
merciful to me a sinner!"
Are you ready to humble yourself and make such an honest confession? By nature
you imagine, like the Pharisee, that you are better than other people. Here the
Law of God serves as a mirror. Are you a parent? Can you truthfully say that you
have always perfectly performed your duty toward your children? Have you made
your home a truly Christian home? Are you a child, to whom God has given the
command: "Obey your parents"? Can you truthfully say that you have
always been dutiful and obedient and have shown due respect to your parents? Or
consider your attitude toward your neighbor. Where is your sympathy and your
love for others? There is so much love of self; very little interest is taken in
the welfare of others. Gossiping, magnifying your neighbor's faults, heaping
disdain on others, are all proof of the Pharisee in you. Examine your love and
obedience to God. Do you love God with all your heart? Are you ready to forsake
the world and all its treasures? You have every reason to make the honest
confession with the tax collector: "God, be merciful to me a sinner."
You are no better than the tax collector. If he could not lift up his eyes unto
heaven, neither can you look God in the face. You owe Him all the good works and
virtues in the world. But these will not cover your guilt. Your guilt can be
removed only by God's grace in the shed blood of Christ. You need the Savior as
badly as the neighbor who appears worse than you. You have nothing with which to
pay God for your sins. You are a bankrupt sinner. You can offer God no
righteousness whatever of your own to cover the multitude of your
transgressions. There is only one escape left open to you: plead for mercy in
Christ.
God accepted the tax collector's plea for mercy. Jesus says of him: "This
man went down to his house justified." The sins that had so utterly crushed
him were forgiven. His load of guilt was removed. God pronounced him just,
declared him righteous. How could God do this? How could God, declare the sinner
righteous? It was because of God's grace in Christ, who atoned for all sins on
the cross. It was because the tax collector despaired of his own righteousness
and received a righteousness that is far better. He threw aside his own soiled
garments and was clothed in the pure, spotless robe of Christ's merit. He put on
the Lord Jesus Christ in penitent faith. And God declared him righteous.
And so it is with every penitent sinner who approaches the throne of God humbly
pleading for mercy. "For he who humbles himself will be exalted." (14)
When you lose yourself in humble confession, God's mercy finds you in Holy
Absolution. When you lay yourself low at the foot of Christ's cross, God's mercy
reaches down in Holy Baptism and lifts you up and crowns you with a crown of
glory. When you confess your spiritual poverty, God makes you rich with His
forgiveness, freely given to you in Holy Communion.
I declare to you this day: You go down to your house justified, for you have
looked away from yourself to Christ in Holy Absolution. You have looked away
from your own petty morality to the redeeming sacrifice of Christ, which you
receive in this Supper. You are acceptable in God's sight, for you are clothed
with the cloak of Christ's righteous humility in Holy Baptism. You come before
God in penitent confession and humble faith in the Christ's saving blood, and
God receives your worship as a sweet-smelling savor. For God has been merciful
to you, a sinner.
You have come here this morning to receive the Sacrament of Christ's Body and
Blood. Before coming to the Lord's Table, it is good to ask yourself: "Am I
worthy and well prepared?" The Apostle Paul admonishes you: "But let a
man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup."
(1Cor. 11:28) Without such self-examination, there is danger that you will
consider the Lord's Supper as a mere custom. Realize now that you have come into
the presence of God, not only to confess your sins, but also to be a guest at
His table, freely receiving His forgiveness.
Having received forgiveness, you are worthy to come into the presence of God.
The grace of God, which has been manifested in Jesus Christ, has appeared unto
you. Having asked forgiveness in the name of Jesus, who atoned for your sins,
you are assured that God will look upon you with favor, receive you as His
child, and make you an heir of His kingdom.
Come, then, to this Supper having a penitent and believing heart, for God has
declared you to be a worthy guest at the His Table. He keeps His promises in
Christ; and in this Sacrament gives you His Body and Blood as a pledge that His
mercy and grace upon you. God grant you this salutary gift and give you the
comfort that you seek. Then you will go to your home justified through faith in
Jesus, your Lord and Redeemer. Amen.
The Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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