In the quotation I posted yesterday, C.F.W. Walther (the first LCMS president) talked about the disastrous effects of disunity. Here he speaks about the blessings of unity in the Church:

Christian unity always produces a blessing. If the Church is one in doctrine and life, in faith and love, it shares its gifts and knowledge. It then grows in the wealth of knowledge, the power of faith, the fervor of love, the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and the liveliness of hope. It grounds itself ever more deeply and builds itself ever more gloriously, adorned with all sorts of gifts of the Spirit. It then extends its hands to raise up shepherds and soldiers who pursue the work of converting those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and who struggle against the enemies of the truth.

-God Grant It, p563

Employing technology is not morally or spiritually neutral. Scientific advancements bring new problems, as the tools we use end up using us, changing us. The invention of the automobile, the airplane, the telephone, and now mobile technologies have changed how and where people live, how we see the world and interact with each other. You’ve seen others – and perhaps even yourself – become a slave to televisions, computers, and handheld devices.

The account of the Tower of Babel (which we heard in today’s first reading) indicates certain technological advancements among those people. Lacking good stone for building, they learned to mold clay into bricks, bake them, and bind them together with asphalt. This was, no doubt, a wonderful thing. But they employed their technology in a manner serving their own pride. They sought to build a tower that would be to their own name, to their own glory. Thus St. Jerome referred to the Tower of Babel as the “Tower of Pride” (Letter 46, in NPNF2 VI).

“Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language.” “Us,” it says, already foreshadowing in Genesis the revelation that would only later come fully, that there is One God in Three Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the counsel of the Holy Trinity it was determined to bring judgement on these builders who used their technology for evil.

Now beloved, you well know that we live in a far more technologically advanced age than the one recorded in Genesis 11. But what is our society doing with our great knowledge? We are fertilizing human eggs in laboratories, then killing many of these human beings for the supposed greater good of scientific research. Thus we, like the Nazis, have decreed that some lives are unworthy of life; they may be discarded or used for research. We are frantically searching for a cure for AIDS, without addressing the root cause, sexual promiscuity. We build weapons capable of catastrophic global annihilation. The internet is a cesspool of porn, gossip, inanity and voyeurism. Can the day be far off when the Lord will again, when His long patience comes to an end, come down to scatter and destroy?

St. Augustine saw the tower as an attempt to thwart God’s judgment. God had earlier destroyed most of the world’s people through a flood, because of their iniquity. Living in repentance they would not, so they sought instead to build a tower so that if God again attempted to punish them by means of a flood, they could climb high and withstand it.

Similarly, we Christians would often like to be found in the company of the saints yet at the same time make friendship with the world’s priorities, succumb to our lusts, relish our pride, clutch tightly to our anger and resentments. But God’s judgment cannot be thwarted. Repentance – a full-on change of mind and heart and behavior and attitude – must be embraced, day by day.

For the day is coming when God will come down again. “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower,” Holy Scripture says. When it says, “The LORD came down,” it doesn’t mean that God was absent and did not know what was going on until then. God is everywhere. But Scripture speaks about God in this way, in a human way, to tell us that the time came when the LORD ceased taking no notice. Up until then, He had been long-suffering, slow to anger. But the time comes when the LORD says, “Enough!”, and He begins to punish.

Dr. Luther says, “All this is intended to frighten us, that we may learn to beware of sin. For God will not ignore it forever; but just as by His arrival He finally frightened and killed Adam, Cain, and the entire world in the Flood, so at some time He will destroy us also if we do not forestall Him through repentance.”

But in the glorious events of Pentecost, the day we are celebrating today, the LORD came down in a new and different way. When the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the gift of speaking in other languages that they had not studied, the judgement at the Tower of Babel was reversed. Pride caused the languages of the world to be divided; Christ’s humility caused the good news of God’s forgiveness to be preached in a united way to every language. What the Tower of Pride put asunder, God has put back together in the holy Christian Church. Pride caused one language to become many. In the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, those many languages and peoples are made one. (Paraphrased from Augustine)

The Church is not Roman or German or Greek or Ethiopian or any other ethnicity. The Church is Christ’s, and the day of Pentecost reveals that the Gospel – the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, and the hope of our own resurrection and life in God’s kingdom – that good news is for everyone of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. It is a beautiful thing when a person is welcomed into the Church not because of the color of their skin or common cultural background, but because they are fellow sons and daughters of Adam, who in Holy Baptism are made fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

We, who come from different places and have different talents and gifts, have in Jesus a common inheritance. Today’s Gospel declares to you Jesus’ farewell gift, the inheritance He leaves with His disciples: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” “Not as the world gives.” The world does have a kind of peace. When it does the will of the devil, he lets it rest in peace.

St. John tells us where the world finds its peace: “The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” These things give a kind of peace, but it is a fading, fleeting thing. Devotion to these three worldly forces ends in judgment, lacking peace with God.

Dear brothers and sisters, if you want to know what the Holy Spirit does, look at what Jesus does. Note how the Son and the Spirit are both sent by the Father. “The Father sent Me,” Jesus declares, and then says, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will … bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” The Father who sent the Son sends the Spirit. Why does He send the Spirit? To continue the work of the Son. The Son won the justification of the sinner. The Spirit delivers that justification. The Son wins forgiveness, the Spirit delivers forgiveness, so that we are reconciled to the forgiving Father. The Spirit is poured out as we are united with the Son in Baptism, and made children of the Father. On and on it goes, so that the Spirit is not some strange and bizarre thing, but entirely connected with the Gospel of Jesus.

So the Holy Spirit comes to make us holy. We are not, and can never be, holy by ourselves. The Holy Spirit makes us holy. Now if you know yourself, and think about who you are and what you have been even this past week, you can very well doubt that this is true. Does God really regard me as holy? But my sins are too great, and I have knowingly gone against God’s Word one too many times. How can it be true? I read something beautiful and deeply comforting to me this past week, in Dr. Luther’s sermons on John’s Gospel: “To be sure, the Holy Spirit sometimes lets His Christians fall, err, stumble, and sin. This is to forestall any complacency, as though we were holy of ourselves, and to teach us to know ourselves and the source of our holiness. Otherwise we would become arrogant and overweening.”

When we sin, we are not sure if God really accepts us. Luther continues:

“Yes,” you say, “I am a poor sinner and have provoked God to anger.” How true! But do you not hear what Christ says? “I give you My peace, God’s grace, and the forgiveness of sin. You must not look at yourself; you must fix your eyes on what I give you. As you know, you have My Baptism, Sacrament, and Gospel, which are nothing but tokens of grace and peace.” Let those tremble before wrath and displeasure who live smugly and brazenly, are impenitent and wicked, and do not know Christ. For you are a person who desires God’s grace and the forgiveness of sins, who wants to be comforted by Him, who is frightened, and who is conscious of his misery. Therefore these words are addressed to you.

In summary, today is about consolation. You are a great sinner, and we are a people of deep rebellion, pride, and selfishness. God would be thoroughly just in coming down as He came down of old and visiting us with wrath and destruction. Yet once again God has given you an opportunity to repent, and the Holy Spirit has been poured out on us generously. By His holy inspiration, we have heard the words of Jesus repeated to us, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.” Take not this gift lightly, nor wonder if it truly is for you. This consolation is for you. Therefore, on this great feast of Pentecost, say to yourself, “I am baptized. I, an unholy sinner, have been declared holy, and received the Holy Spirit. The Father has made peace with me through His Son, and with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shall I forever dwell.”

We’re observing the Vigil of Pentecost a few days early at Immanuel, since we have a regular Wednesday evening service (usually Vespers or Evening Prayer). The following is the Litany that we will pray tonight. I don’t know its original source, but I found it in Daniel Reuning’s Historic Lectionary Resources.

P Lord, have mercy upon us.
C Christ, have mercy upon us.
P Lord, have mercy upon us.

P O Christ, hear us.
C O Christ, graciously hear us.
P O God the Father in heaven;
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world;
O God the Holy Ghost, the Promise of the Father and Gift of the Most High:
C Have mercy upon us.

P O Spirit of wisdom and understanding;
O Spirit of counsel and strength;
O Spirit of knowledge and godliness;
O Spirit of the fear of the Lord;
O Spirit of love, joy, and peace;
O Spirit of long-suffering, gentleness, and goodness;
O Spirit of truth, meekness, and patience;
O Spirit of modesty, temperance, and chastity;
O Spirit of grace and supplication;
O Spirit of discipline and continence;
O Spirit of adoption of the sons of God;
O Holy Ghost, the Comforter;
O Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier:
C Have mercy upon us.

P Be merciful.
C Spare us, O Holy Ghost.
P Be merciful.
C Graciously hear us, O Holy Ghost.
P From all sin and from all evil;
From the crafts and assaults of the devil;
From uncleanness of mind or body;
From every evil spirit:
C O Holy Ghost, deliver us.

P By Thine eternal procession from the Father and the Son;
By Thy working at creation;
By Thine inspiration of the prophets;
By Thy descent upon the mother of God at the Lord’s incarnation;
By Thy descent upon the Lord at His baptism;
By Thy descent upon the apostles at Pentecost;
By Thy continual abiding with the church;
By Thy grace and pity;
In the Day of Judgment:
C O Holy Ghost, deliver us.

P We sinners do beseech Thee to hear us.
That it may please Thee to shed abroad Thy light and love in our hearts;
That it may please Thee to open upon us the treasures of Thy grace;
That it may please Thee to teach us to ask for them according to Thy will;
That it may please Thee to teach us to pray, and Thyself to pray with us;
That we may not grieve Thee nor spite Thee;
That remembering that our bodies are Thy temple, we may take heed not
to defile them;
That it may please Thee to lead us into all truth;
That it may please Thee to pour Thy peace upon the whole church:
C O Holy Ghost, we beseech Thee to hear us.

P O Lamb of God,
C Pour out upon us the Holy Ghost.
P O Lamb of God,
C Send forth upon us the promised Spirit of the Father.
P O Lamb of God,
C Grant to us the Spirit of peace.
P O Christ, hear us.
C O Christ, graciously hear us.

We will follow this with the Our Father, the Collect for Pentecost Eve, and the Collect for Peace.

Luther on John 14:

A Christian, however, can glory truthfully and with good reason, and he can say: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, who makes me and all believers holy. Therefore I am a member of a holy order, not that of St. Francis but that of Christ, who makes me holy through His Word and sacraments.” “May God preserve me,” say those monkish saints, “from such presumption! I am a poor sinner.” All right, then go to Rome, to Jerusalem, and through all the orders and cloisters, and see whether you become holy! The truth, however, is this: If you yourself were holy, then you would not need the Holy Spirit at all; but since we are sinful and unclean in ourselves, the Holy Spirit must perform His work in us. He gives us the Word of Christ the Lord, Baptism, and His power, not only that you may be in a holy order, but also that you yourself may be holy. But He does so in such a way that you say: “I am not holy through myself but through Christ’s blood, with which I have been sprinkled, yes, washed in Baptism, and also through His Gospel, which is spoken over me daily.” Thus there is nothing laudable about that stupid, false, and harmful humility which makes you want to say that your sins prevent you from being holy. That would be a denial of Christ’s blood and Baptism; that would deny that you have the Holy Spirit and are a member of the Christian Church, in which we are to assemble for the Gospel, for Baptism, and for the Sacrament.

-AE 24

Note: Linden Katherine Hemingway was baptized during the Divine Service at which this sermon was preached.

Spirit – it seems impossible to grab hold of what that really is. Spirit is something shapeless and ephemeral, usually synonymous with enthusiasm or excitement: like team spirit or school spirit. Precisely because you can’t nail “spirit” down, it’s become popular to reject “religion” in favor of “spirituality.” What does it mean to be “spiritual”?  It is an embracing of mysticism and experience, while rejecting the certainty of doctrine and revealed truth. Ultimately being “spiritual but not religious” means rejecting the Word of God.

But it was not so from the beginning. In the beginning, God breathed into man the breath of life—the Spirit—and He gave man His Word. The Holy Spirit and the Word always go together, and so the life that God gives likewise is present wherever God’s Spirit and Word are. Our first parents rejected the Word of God, and so lost life – not their own life, but the life of God. For man has no life in himself – he lives by the life that God gives. Rejecting the Word of God, man lost the Spirit of God. So what God began in giving His Spirit, His Word, His life to man, man turned into the worst disaster. He fell. He died.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Word, and the Word was made Man. The Word became flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit. There, in the God-Man Jesus, the Spirit again dwelled in Man. In Him was life, and He came not only to give His life for mankind but also to mankind. On the cross, when our Lord JESUS breathed His last, He handed over His Spirit to His mother and to the beloved disciple, anticipating the gift of the Spirit to all the Church. And then: Death could not hold Him, for He was and is life. So when He rose, He came into the midst of the disciples, breathed again the breath of life that had once graced our first father Adam, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And He charged them to forgive sins.

And so today, Pentecost, is not just another day on the calendar. It gathers together Christmas, the Baptism of Jesus, Good Friday, and Easter, and says, “All that is now for you! The life that is in Jesus; the Holy Spirit; communion with God; forgiveness; the love of God—everything that Christ Jesus was and is and gave to His disciples—all that is now given to you.” And that is what Jesus means by that great comforting word “peace”: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” 

But then we hear those horrible words that bring such shame: Jesus says, “If you loved Me.” Those words told the disciples that they were not loving Jesus as they should. And when you examine your life according to the Ten Commandments, you must realize the same thing. You have not loved Christ, you have not kept His words; you have not loved your neighbor as yourself, but you have measured everything by what pleases you. You have promoted and exulted yourself, and lived as if God’s Word did not apply in every circumstance.

That is precisely the sin we find among the builders of the Tower of Babel. They were disregarding God, seeking to decide their own destiny apart from Him. They wanted to make a name for themselves, and live autonomously. Mankind was united, but it was a united rebellion against their Creator. And so, in order to prevent the horror of a humanity united in will and purpose against Him, God confused their languages.

We suffer for that to this day. It is difficult to learn another language, but it is also difficult simply to communicate clearly in our own tongue. How many arguments arise just from misunderstanding what someone else said or wrote? In politics, in our homes, and certainly in the church, we wage wars over words.

The miraculous event of Pentecost, where the Gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection was preached in many languages– that was the Holy Spirit’s call to a divided and confused humanity to gather together and unite under the banner of the Crucified One, our Lord Jesus Christ. “In Him,” said that voice ringing out to every nation, “the ancient sin is pardoned; in Him the ancient curse is lifted; you violent world, receive peace from your God!” Every language of man is used so that every race of man, however far off, might know that Christ’s incarnation was for them, Christ’s words and promises were for them, Christ’s death was for them, Christ’s resurrection was for them – and if for them, then for you, every one of you. No one, from the youngest child (such as Mark and Mollie’s daughter Linden) to the person whose life has become a disaster—no one is excluded from that invitation to receive God’s forgiveness.

So now, for Linden and for all the Baptized, we are charged by our Lord JESUS today to keep His Word. What does that mean? It means we guard, treasure, hold onto, meditate upon, pray, believe, seek to live by the words of JESUS. He gave the Apostles a promise that the Holy Spirit would help them remember His words. That special gift means that their writings in the New Testament are true and without error. Those inspired words are the final authority in the Church. 

But the Holy Spirit also works in us to remember the words of Jesus. What kind of remembering do we need? What we need is not just being able to recite Bible passages for a test, but something more: it is in the time of trial when we need the Holy Spirit’s help of remembering, holding onto, keeping and treasuring the Word. When you are tempted to sin—especially those habitual, besetting sins that you struggle against and have trouble stopping—that’s when we need to remember the Word and apply it to our trial. In those moments, we are faced with choices: should I say words that will be hurtful? Should I indulge the desire for sexual immorality? Should I take what does not belong to me? Should I tell a lie or conceal the truth? Should I give in to anger, resentment, the temptation for self-destructive behavior?

And then there is the hour of despair, an hour when we face depression or thoughts of suicide; an hour when we are tempted to throw away our faith; an hour when death visits us – what then will be our trust and hope? In that hour, remember: the Holy Spirit is for good reason called the Helper, which also means Advocate and Comforter. He is your Advocate before the Father: He prays for you, and also inspires you to pray, to call on the name of JESUS for your help. And the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter because He consoles you with the knowledge of pardon for your sins.

Rejoice then, O children of Adam! God has breathed out His Spirit once more! God has brought you, His fallen creatures, back into communion with Himself. In Him is life, and He first breathed that life into you by washing you as He did Linden; and He keeps on giving you that life by forgiving you, by nourishing you at His Table. The Spirit you have breathed in, you breathe out in your prayers and when you live in peace and love and forgiveness with your neighbors. And so that life of being Spirit-filled Christians goes on and on as we grow up in all things into Him who is our Head, Jesus Christ. In Him is your peace. In Him will you live, in Him will you die, and His shall you be forever.

Today is an in-between Sunday. The Ascension was this past Thursday, and Pentecost is next Sunday. Jesus left the disciples, and the Spirit had not yet come. They were left to themselves. What happens when you are left to yourself? When a Christian comes face-to-face with his failings, his imperfections, his selfishness, lack of love, and foolish decisions—all this is to say, when a Christian comes face to face with his sin, he is in sorrow and despair.

But the Psalms are given for us to pray, to speak to God His own answer to our sins: “Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!” God answered this ancient prayer for help by sending Jesus, and it was further answered when Christ sent the Spirit—the Helper—from the Father.  When Jesus says, “I will send you the Helper from the Father,” we learn that no preaching of the Law, no preaching of works or commandments or ethics or personal improvement can help us. None of that is the message and testimony of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies, tells us about Jesus. That is His work.

This day in the church year—the Sunday in-between the Ascension and Pentecost—is given to us as a reminder of what it means to be a Spirit-filled disciple of Jesus: our life as Spirit-filled disciples is a life of (1) clinging to the Spirit’s testimony about what Christ has accomplished, (2) a life of suffering in the world, and (3) a life of doing good to our neighbors.

First, we cling to the Spirit’s testimony. Today’s prayer anticipates Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit: “Leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth.” The Holy Spirit’s consolation is precisely in testifying about Jesus. 

What are the specifics of the Holy Spirit’s comfort (or, consolation)? The devil and your own conscience will frighten you because of your sins; the world will hate your confession of the faith, your morals and your piety. That you must expect. But the Holy Spirit comforts us by pointing us to Christ. He won’t make your wallet fat, but He will enable you to say, “When I have lost everything—spouse, children, house, car, possessions, reputation, even my own life—yes, when all that is gone, still Jesus Christ for my sake was made man, died and rose again, and ascended into heaven. He is coming at the last day for me. If God’s Son suffered for me, He will certainly not be my enemy. Since He loves me and has given me such great promises, then I have everything” [Adapted from Luther].

Second, we Christians will suffer in the world. Being faithful to God’s Word is going to make you unpopular. Don’t be surprised when there is suffering that comes to you for being a Christian. “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” You may be tempted to turn back, and embrace the comfort the world will offer you. But know this: The comfort the world offers is false and counterfeit; the disciple of Jesus will find no comfort there. Our comfort is in the Holy Spirit’s testimony of Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s help and comfort is a comfort in the truth, reminding us that the suffering of this world and life endures but a short time, while the comfort of salvation and life in the kingdom of God will go on forever.

And lastly, we Christians who are looking for Christ’s return spend the remaining time of our life in worship and prayer, and in the world, doing good to our neighbor. Today, St. Peter uses the word “stewardship” to describe this life of doing works of mercy. Stewardship in common church parlance usually means money. Today we hear Peter, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, using the term to describe our responsible use of the gifts God has given to us in our intellect and personality. These are to be channelled in service to our neighbor. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” There is a variety in the gifts that God has given: some have the gift of speaking, and their speech should be announcing, and reflecting on, the oracles of God – God’s Words and deeds and promises. Others have the gift of service of various kinds: changing a diaper, changing a tire, changing a lightbulb; preparing a meal, preparing a budget; paying a bill, paying a visit. The gifts that God has given you are to be used not for yourself alone, but for your neighbors, for your church, for your world.

The remaining time of our life, the remaining time of the world is short. The Ascension reminds us that “the end of all things is at hand” (Epistle), for Christ will return in the same manner as He left. So what should we do now? Be prepared for His return. Be “self-controlled and sober-minded,” occupied in prayer. Pray that God would remove your heart of stone, and give you more and more a heart of flesh, a heart led by His Spirit, so that you walk in His ways and keep the commandments. God began that work in you at Baptism, when He sprinkled clean water on you and gave you His Holy Spirit. He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who promises it to you is faithful, and He will do it. +INJ+

Luther on the objectivity of the Holy Spirit’s testimony:

No one in need of comfort, therefore, should wait until the Holy spirit in all his majesty speaks to him personally from heaven. For the Holy Spirit carries out his witness publicly in the sermon. That is where you must seek and await him, till the word which you hear with your ears witness inwardly of Christ in your heart. But such inward witness does not come about until the externally spoken witness of the Word is heard which tells that Christ became man, was crucified, died, and rose again for our sakes.

House Postils, II:149

St. Augustine on the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son:

Perhaps someone may ask whether the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son. For the Son is the Son of the Father alone, and the Father is Father only of the Son; but the Holy Ghost is not the Spirit of one of them, but of Both…. Why then may we not hold that the Holy Ghost also proceeds from the Son, since He is also the Spirit of the Son? For if He did not proceed from Him, He would not after His Resurrection have breathed upon His Disciples, saying: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

Tr. 99, 6 in John, quoted in Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, II.441

This sermon concludes our Lenten midweek services, wherein we read and meditated upon Romans 4:1–8:1.

When President Bush landed on USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003 to announce the end of major combat operations in Iraq, there was a banner displaying the words “Mission Accomplished.” That phrase would later come to haunt Bush’s presidency, as the insurgency in Iraq grew more and more deadly.

The complicated military situation in Iraq – a swift conventional victory, followed by years of guerilla warfare against hidden enemies – is a pretty good analogy to the situation we as Christians find ourselves in. On the one hand, victory has been accomplished, as we heard two weeks ago in Rom. 6: “We were therefore buried with [Christ] through baptism in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Christ’s victory in His cross and resurrection is ours in Holy Baptism. Mission Accomplished.

And yet, there is an insurgency within us that is not happy, not happy at all about the regime change. Our flesh was and remains quite enamored with the former tyrant. The things the commandments forbid, the flesh loves. What the Spirit leads us toward, the flesh resists, and what the Spirit urges us to reject, the flesh lures us toward.

It is a warfare going on inside each of us, a battle of wills, a struggle to the death between the new man, led by the Spirit, and the old Adam, who delights in sin and seeks only what pleases the self. Your will wants to love God, wants to hear the Word, wants to pray, wants to honor authorities; you want to help your neighbor, live a life of chastity and fidelity, be free of the desire for money and possessions, and speak what is kind and helpful. But we find in ourselves another will – a will that only does those things out of compulsion, and in truth hates it all. That fleshly will spins cunning tales of deception, is ready to bite and devour others, is filled with a lust for money, power, sex, all kind of physical gratification, and dishonors parents, pastors, presidents, hates to pray, hates to listen, especially to God’s Word, and ultimately has no respect for God whatsoever.

That was St. Paul’s experience. That’s my own experience. And if you dare to truly examine yourself, you’ll find it’s your own experience as well. Dr. Luther said, “There is no one among us who does not possess a big, fat share of the flesh; a whole kneeding trough full.” Those two wills, forces, desires, are battling it out within you every day. You have been baptized, your sins are forgiven, the Holy Spirit bestowed, heaven promised, and yet that natural man, like an army of insurgents, stubbornly remains and seeks to thwart the new will, resisting every impulse of the Holy Spirit.

All that is what St. Paul describes when he says, “What I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” What is the origin of these things that we hate yet nevertheless find ourselves doing? “I know,” he says, “that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” We all have a big fat share of that flesh, and the longer we are Christians, the more we see how deep, insidious, wicked and depraved we really are. Our capacity for evil is horrifying in its enormity.

Well, if this is part of who we are, and we are stuck with the flesh in this life, does this mean that we just should stop worrying about it, learn to forgive ourselves, and accept the reality of sin in our lives? God forbid! Shall we keep on sinning, since we are forgiven? Certainly not! Shall we sin boldly, assuming that out salvation cannot be lost? May it never be!

The great Lutheran theologian Adolph Koeberle said that the Christian, “through the power of the Holy Ghost can and should cooperate, even though it be still in great weakness.” We are terribly weak, but the new will, the new man, the regenerate person who has been baptized fights, struggles, and cries out every day with Paul, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

Our flesh is never getting better. We seek to subdue it, control it, suppress it, lock it like a raging animal into a cage, but we will never reform it, never perfect it. The flesh is never getting better until it is destroyed. The Lord kills and makes alive; the Lord kills for the purpose of making alive, remaking us. We long and sigh for the day when we are rid of the sinful nature, and God raises us up in new bodies of flesh that are nevertheless free of our present impulse to sin.

For now, we live in a perpetual state of warfare, a new man who lives in joyful liberty, gladly doing the will of God, and the Old Adam who must be driven through bitter compulsion to obey the Commandments. Because of this war, because of this conflict, we always have to live in expectation of the judgment. For us, it must always be the eleventh hour, always anticipating for the coming of Christ, always cognizant of the danger of falling away. Those things you have done in secret, thinking that if no one knows, then you are safe – stop them. What you know is wrong, resist, and if you fall, confess it immediately.

And most importantly in all of this is renewing our life of prayer. None of us prays as we ought. Dr. Luther said that “A true faith will turn into a simulated faith if we do not live in the fear of God, watch and pray.” The end of our reading tonight, where Romans 7 turns into Romans 8, shows us the pattern of our prayers: “O God, you see what a wretched man that I am; I am not even fit to pray to You or cry out to You; who will deliver me from this body of death, this flesh that is intoxicated with sin? I thank You, dear God, that Jesus Christ my Lord has won the victory over sin and death. You baptized me, You have declared that I am in Christ Jesus, and that there is therefore now no condemnation for me. Help me day by day to stop walking according to the flesh, but to live according to the Spirit. Grant this for the sake of my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

The Venerable Bede, on the meaning of Jesus’ baptism:

When the Lord was baptized in the Jordan, the Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove, bearing witness that he is the truth, that he is the true Son of God, that he is the true Mediator between God and humanity, that he is the true Redeemer and Reconciler of the human race, that he is truly free from any contamination of sin, that he is truly able to take away the sins of the world.