The Fullness of God Fills All Our Need
Trinity Sunday • Sermon • Submitted
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Things have been relatively quiet in Gary this weekend. No reports of vandalism or looting, and the police and city administration adopted a sympathetic posture regarding the protests here. The events of the previous week in Hammond and at the Southlake Mall were not repeated, and we see signs that, at least in our community, the relationship between the government authorities and the citizens is not a hostile one. This is the grace of God in action, as Christians live out the love of God while proclaiming God’s Word regarding justice, mercy, and reconciliation.
Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. … through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Doctrine of the Trinity sets Christianity apart from all other religious speculations in human history. There have been other theologies that held to the idea of monotheism, the existence of only one God, as well as theologies that supported the notion of polytheism, the belief in many gods, or divine beings, sometimes with one being the leader over or source of the others.
The Holy Trinity is unique, and for that reason it is sometimes misunderstood. It is, on the one hand, so simple that a child can learn it, and on the other hand, so complex that doctors of theology can wrestle with it without exhausting its breadth and depth.
Our Book of Concord contains what we call the Three Ecumenical Creeds, the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Creed of Athanasius. The first two address the three Persons of the Trinity sequentially, setting forth how we encounter them in the revelation of Scripture. The third one differs from the others in that, while it expresses what we believe as Christians, it does not do so as a creedal statement. It does not begin by saying “I Believe in...”. Instead, it presents an apologetic, or defense, of the Christian faith expressed dogmatically.
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions The Creed of Athanasius
Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.
Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.
And the catholic faith is this,
that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
All that follows is the explication of this opening statement. Throughout, it maintains this design of trinity in unity and unity in trinity. it’s foundation is simple: a Christian believes these things about the nature of God, if a pastor or teachers proclaims something that differs, he teaches falsely. People who hold to a different understanding of the nature of God must be corrected lest they put their soul in jeopardy of eternal loss. To be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is to be identified with the God who saved us and seals us unto the day of redemption, who provides for all of our needs, and who empowers us to live as God’s children.
This creed also clarifies something for us by expressing that every act of God is an act that involves all of God. We might otherwise think that God the Father acted alone to create, God the Son acted alone to redeem, and God the Holy Spirit acts alone to sanctify us , as is expressed by many modalist or Oneness Pentecostals who claim to be Christians as well.
Jesus’ words in Matt 28:19-20 give us boundaries regarding what we are to teach:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As these words conclude Matthew’s Gospel, we may understand that what Jesus commanded is what Matthew wrote in his Gospel. The Gospel of Matthew was written to be read and heard by those who had come to faith in Christ for their building up in the faith as much as it was given to be heard by those who had not come to saving faith. It is catechesis as well as evangel. The last chapter shows that Christ is trustworthy in terms of doing what He says He will do:
And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Compared to Luke and John, Matthew gives us a rather sparse account of Christ’s resurrection and post-resurrection appearances. Mark’s presentation is, depending on which texts you use, is even more spare or slightly more robust. the important thought here is that Jesus expected the Apostles to teach everything that Jesus had taught them before this statement. We don’t know, from Matthew, whether this meeting took place early in the 40 days post resurrection or at or near the ascension ten days before Pentecost. We do know that Jesus teachings, as recorded in the New Testament, were to be passed on and that we were, as Christians, to “keep” them.
How have we done since the day Christ spoke those words? We have the four Gospels, along with the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and General Epistles, the Book of Revelation, all of which are presented to the church as God’s Word to us. We have the Lutheran Symbols, contained in the Book of Concord, which we confess to be a true and faithful exposition of the Holy Scriptures. We have called and ordained servants of the Word who have pledged to teach and preach in accordance with the Word of God consistent with the Symbols, and we have confirmed Christians who have been taught to believe, teach and confess what has been handed down to us as Christ intended, through the clear teachings of the Apostles, preserved by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church witnessed by generation after generation to the present day.
Not everything that we may have done, either in the past or in our generation, has measured up to the perfection of Christ, and that is why we confess and receive forgiveness from our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we take heed to the words of Hebrews 10:23-25:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The world in which we now live suffers from the same sin problems as did the world in which our parents, grandparents, and forebears lived. As the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote:
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us.
The only difference between our sins today and the sins of a century ago is our ability to broadcast them is greater, and so we are able to put stumbling blocks before more people than was possible in previous generations. But we are also able to reach more people at one time than they were by the same means. The internet is for us what the printing press was for Luther, and what the Roman roads were for Paul.
Most importantly, the wages of sin is still death, and the gift of God is still eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Gospel is still the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Jesus Christ is still with us, and He will be with the generation that comes after us that we have equipped through preaching and teaching to live as children of God in their generation who walk in their vocations as we are walking in ours in this generation. As God saved those who came before us, He has saved us. As Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy:
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
You who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, made partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. If you have not been baptized into Christ, we have faithfully continued to serve as stewards of the mysteries of Christ, exercising the Office of the Keys, preaching the pure Gospel, and administering the sacraments so that you might know the certainty of the things which you have believed. It is not too late, if you hunger and thirst for righteousness today. We offer the righteousness of God, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. We proclaim that God is still working in Christ to reconcile the world to Himself, and He has committed to the Church the ministry of reconciliation. Today God pleads through us, “be reconciled to God.”
The problems that we see today exist because we are not reconciled to God, nor are we reconciled to each other. We do not see that we are all one people before God, all having the same need. Instead, we look for anything that we can find to separate ourselves from one another, to elevate ourselves at the expense of others over the most trivial of distinctions. Our problems are not legal, political or financial. Those are just the areas in which our problem manifests itself. All the money in the world won’t make you feel secure. All the knowledge and legal protection in the world won’t ease your conscience, and all the influence in the world won’t help you know how to love or to recognize love.
God sent His Son into the World to redeem us from the bondage of the world, the flesh and the devil, to unite us in the Body of the Crucified One, that we might with one accord sing the praises of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Christ still does what it always has done, births us to a new and living hope through the resurrection of Christ, to the praise of His glorious grace.
So let the peace of God, that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.