A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 24, 2017 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Proverbs 1:1-7. Play the audio by clicking here.
(Sorry for the audio hiccups. I'll try to fix it for next week.)
Sunday, September 24, 2017
A Quick Study: Reformation, Part 7, September 24, 2017
This quick study on Reformation History was given at the end of service at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on September 24, 2017. The text of the study is included and you may play the audio of the study here.
Martin Luther had a problem. He was okay with the idea of indulgences, that piece of paper that seemed to get you time off of Purgatory, but he wasn’t okay with buying them. He felt it akin to the idea of Jesus scourging the Temple, not because there was money in the church, but because it seemed like there was a way in which you could buy your salvation. That didn’t seem right; in fact, the Scriptures outright condemn such a thing. So, when he started to think about these issues, he found himself confronted with his own personal archenemy, Johann Tetzel.
Tetzel was a German preacher and monk who made a bit of a name for himself. It seems he was quite the orator and could have been said to charm the light off of the sun. It so happens that he was quite skilled in theology as well, and was promoted as the head of the inquisition in Poland. That meant that he basically got to decide if people were teaching and believing heresy, and, if they were, kill them.
Somewhere along the line, Tetzel just disappeared. No one quite knows where he was for a couple of years, but in 1517, having gone back to his monastic order, he was promoted to Grand Commissioner of Indulgences in Germany. Now, remember that Pope Leo X began selling indulgences in order to get the Vatican out of bankruptcy and rebuild St. Peter’s Church. Indulgences were the only way, it seemed, to do this. So, Tetzel, preacher extraordinaire, was promoted to bring in the cash, keep the money rolling, send the bread and butter all the way to Rome.
And he did. Tetzel was good. He was really good. Tetzel knew how to work a crowd, and more than that, he knew how to give the crowd what they wanted before they even knew what they wanted. I would call Tetzel an innovator when it came to his methods; he was very innovative. If that sounds like a good thing, it’s not. I can tell you that there really has never been any point in history that, when someone decides to innovate in the Church that it ends up well. Innovation usually leads to spiritual death.
Now, Tetzel was pure Roman Catholic. Just about everything he taught and did was right along with Roman theology. But, when he began innovating, when he began to run horribly awful plays to scare people into buying more indulgences, plays akin to the scariest horror movie you’ve seen, when he began innovating, he got careless. He is famous for saying, Every time the coin in the coffer clings, the soul from Purgatory springs. He even said he could forgive the sins of the person who did unspeakable things to the mother of Christ. Tetzel’s methods lead to careless doctrine. And careless doctrine in Wittenberg got Luther’s attention.
No longer was Luther just concerned with indulgence selling. Now he was concerned with how they were sold. And as he pondered the methods, he began also began to question the entire practice, where it was found in the Scriptures, why certain things were occurring, until one day, October 31, 1517, he left his cloister, hammer in hand, and went to the town’s church and tacked a small document to the door. We talk about Luther’s 95 theses next week.
Martin Luther had a problem. He was okay with the idea of indulgences, that piece of paper that seemed to get you time off of Purgatory, but he wasn’t okay with buying them. He felt it akin to the idea of Jesus scourging the Temple, not because there was money in the church, but because it seemed like there was a way in which you could buy your salvation. That didn’t seem right; in fact, the Scriptures outright condemn such a thing. So, when he started to think about these issues, he found himself confronted with his own personal archenemy, Johann Tetzel.
Tetzel was a German preacher and monk who made a bit of a name for himself. It seems he was quite the orator and could have been said to charm the light off of the sun. It so happens that he was quite skilled in theology as well, and was promoted as the head of the inquisition in Poland. That meant that he basically got to decide if people were teaching and believing heresy, and, if they were, kill them.
Somewhere along the line, Tetzel just disappeared. No one quite knows where he was for a couple of years, but in 1517, having gone back to his monastic order, he was promoted to Grand Commissioner of Indulgences in Germany. Now, remember that Pope Leo X began selling indulgences in order to get the Vatican out of bankruptcy and rebuild St. Peter’s Church. Indulgences were the only way, it seemed, to do this. So, Tetzel, preacher extraordinaire, was promoted to bring in the cash, keep the money rolling, send the bread and butter all the way to Rome.
And he did. Tetzel was good. He was really good. Tetzel knew how to work a crowd, and more than that, he knew how to give the crowd what they wanted before they even knew what they wanted. I would call Tetzel an innovator when it came to his methods; he was very innovative. If that sounds like a good thing, it’s not. I can tell you that there really has never been any point in history that, when someone decides to innovate in the Church that it ends up well. Innovation usually leads to spiritual death.
Now, Tetzel was pure Roman Catholic. Just about everything he taught and did was right along with Roman theology. But, when he began innovating, when he began to run horribly awful plays to scare people into buying more indulgences, plays akin to the scariest horror movie you’ve seen, when he began innovating, he got careless. He is famous for saying, Every time the coin in the coffer clings, the soul from Purgatory springs. He even said he could forgive the sins of the person who did unspeakable things to the mother of Christ. Tetzel’s methods lead to careless doctrine. And careless doctrine in Wittenberg got Luther’s attention.
No longer was Luther just concerned with indulgence selling. Now he was concerned with how they were sold. And as he pondered the methods, he began also began to question the entire practice, where it was found in the Scriptures, why certain things were occurring, until one day, October 31, 1517, he left his cloister, hammer in hand, and went to the town’s church and tacked a small document to the door. We talk about Luther’s 95 theses next week.
Sermon Audio: Matthew 20:1-16, September 24, 2017
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 17, 2017 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Matthew 18:21-35. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link and you may play the audio of the sermon here.
Sermon Text: Matthew 20:1-16, September 24, 2017
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Matthew the 20th chapter:
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
God isn’t fair. Life isn’t fair. It’s not fair that I never got to really see how a grandfather interacts with his grandchildren until my dad became one. Both my grandfathers died before I could get to know them. It’s not fair that my wife and I didn’t meet each other until we were 28. I really wish we had met each other sooner and could have started our lives together than much sooner. It’s not fair that some homes in the hurricanes were destroyed while neighbors’ homes stood. It’s not fair that your spouse died. It’s not fair that you lost your job. It’s not fair.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Chapel Sermon: The Second Article of the Creed, September 21, 2017
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 21, 2017 for the Thursday Chapel of St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran School in Milwaukee, WI, on The Second Article of the Creed. You may read the text and play the audio of the sermon here.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
A Quick Study: Reformation, Part 6, September 17, 2017
This quick study on Reformation History was given at the end of service at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on September 17, 2017. The text of the study is included and you may play the audio of the study here.
Remember how we spoke of purgatory? Well, this comes to our use in the year 1517. Now, of course, we all should know what happened that year: Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg. That we all know. But, why did he do that?
Well, some might say it was an excess of coffee, which first made its way to the European scene around that time. But, in reality, it’s because the Pope of the time, Pope Leo X, wanted to leave a lasting legacy in his honor. He wanted to be so remembered by all of Christendom, he was so vain, that he needed this even more than just wanted it. He wanted his name in lights, so to speak, although there was no electric light back then. Pope Leo X, sadly, is a good example of what happens when a pastor wants to make a name for himself, yet lets the sheep entrusted to his care slip away into the maw of hell.
Anyway, this vain pastor of pastors and his advisors came up with this brilliant idea. St. Peter’s Church was built in the 4th century by Constantine the Great. It is supposed to be the place where St. Peter is laid to rest, yet who really ever knows. However, this church was over a thousand years old. It had seen lootings, ransackings, fires, all kind of calamities. You could imagine the upkeep required on something like that. Pope Leo X decided that he would renovate, restore, and redesign the church to become a basilica, a specific architectural style, and it would be the home and heart of the faith.
There was only one problem. Pope Leo X was a spendthrift, a prodigal, a squanderer, a hedonist. He loved pleasure. He loved comfort. He loved the peoples’ adoration. He borrowed heavily. He spent heavily. The problem then was the Vatican was broke. They had no money to spend on St. Peter’s. Pope Leo X was in a pickle. How could he leave a legacy that would bear his name when he had no money to do so.
He and his advisors had another brilliant idea. They would use the fear of Purgatory and the time that the sinners of this life would have to spend there in order to make their money. They would sell indulgences. An indulgence is a letter or a note of some kind that basically promises that whoever’s name was upon it would a prescribed amount of time off of Purgatory. Maybe it was a few years, maybe it was immediate. It would all depend upon how much would pay. Now, indulgences had been around for a few hundred years. However, they would have been earned through prayers, worship, service. Never before had it been like this: through money. Indulgences are still around today, too.
This practice of indulgence selling rubbed Luther the wrong way. It wasn’t so much the indulgence; he was a good Catholic boy after all at that time. It was the money for forgiveness. It didn’t sit well with him. He began to think about this. Surely, the Pope, who, incidentally, was widely respected for being a learned man, would listen to simple concerns from his brothers of the cloth. Luther began to write down his ideas. But then someone would come onto the scene that would change the tone of Luther’s concerns from conciliatory questions to accusing theses: Johann Tetzel, indulgence seller extraordinaire.
Remember how we spoke of purgatory? Well, this comes to our use in the year 1517. Now, of course, we all should know what happened that year: Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg. That we all know. But, why did he do that?
Well, some might say it was an excess of coffee, which first made its way to the European scene around that time. But, in reality, it’s because the Pope of the time, Pope Leo X, wanted to leave a lasting legacy in his honor. He wanted to be so remembered by all of Christendom, he was so vain, that he needed this even more than just wanted it. He wanted his name in lights, so to speak, although there was no electric light back then. Pope Leo X, sadly, is a good example of what happens when a pastor wants to make a name for himself, yet lets the sheep entrusted to his care slip away into the maw of hell.
Anyway, this vain pastor of pastors and his advisors came up with this brilliant idea. St. Peter’s Church was built in the 4th century by Constantine the Great. It is supposed to be the place where St. Peter is laid to rest, yet who really ever knows. However, this church was over a thousand years old. It had seen lootings, ransackings, fires, all kind of calamities. You could imagine the upkeep required on something like that. Pope Leo X decided that he would renovate, restore, and redesign the church to become a basilica, a specific architectural style, and it would be the home and heart of the faith.
There was only one problem. Pope Leo X was a spendthrift, a prodigal, a squanderer, a hedonist. He loved pleasure. He loved comfort. He loved the peoples’ adoration. He borrowed heavily. He spent heavily. The problem then was the Vatican was broke. They had no money to spend on St. Peter’s. Pope Leo X was in a pickle. How could he leave a legacy that would bear his name when he had no money to do so.
He and his advisors had another brilliant idea. They would use the fear of Purgatory and the time that the sinners of this life would have to spend there in order to make their money. They would sell indulgences. An indulgence is a letter or a note of some kind that basically promises that whoever’s name was upon it would a prescribed amount of time off of Purgatory. Maybe it was a few years, maybe it was immediate. It would all depend upon how much would pay. Now, indulgences had been around for a few hundred years. However, they would have been earned through prayers, worship, service. Never before had it been like this: through money. Indulgences are still around today, too.
This practice of indulgence selling rubbed Luther the wrong way. It wasn’t so much the indulgence; he was a good Catholic boy after all at that time. It was the money for forgiveness. It didn’t sit well with him. He began to think about this. Surely, the Pope, who, incidentally, was widely respected for being a learned man, would listen to simple concerns from his brothers of the cloth. Luther began to write down his ideas. But then someone would come onto the scene that would change the tone of Luther’s concerns from conciliatory questions to accusing theses: Johann Tetzel, indulgence seller extraordinaire.
Sermon Audio: Matthew 18:21-35, September 17, 2017
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 17, 2017 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Matthew 18:21-35. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link and you may play the audio of the sermon here.
Sermon Text: Matthew 18:21-35, September 17, 2017
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Matthew, the 18th chapter:
My dear friends in Christ,
There is no amount of times you actually have to fulfill in order to forgive your brother or sister their offenses against you. Let’s say it this way, if you were to forgive them 77 times, or 490 times, or a hundred times, you would still need to forgive their offenses, even for the same offense, so often, you wouldn’t be able to stop under you hit eleventy-bajillion times. Of course, that’s a made up number, but then again, also made up is the amount of opportunities you are allowed to give someone until you cut them off completely.
You get it? Jesus uses just a ridiculous number to make His point. It doesn’t matter if He said a real number or not, you are always to forgive your brothers and sisters their sins, especially when they’re against you. You, as a Christian are not allowed to NOT forgive others.
The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Matthew, the 18th chapter:
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
There is no amount of times you actually have to fulfill in order to forgive your brother or sister their offenses against you. Let’s say it this way, if you were to forgive them 77 times, or 490 times, or a hundred times, you would still need to forgive their offenses, even for the same offense, so often, you wouldn’t be able to stop under you hit eleventy-bajillion times. Of course, that’s a made up number, but then again, also made up is the amount of opportunities you are allowed to give someone until you cut them off completely.
You get it? Jesus uses just a ridiculous number to make His point. It doesn’t matter if He said a real number or not, you are always to forgive your brothers and sisters their sins, especially when they’re against you. You, as a Christian are not allowed to NOT forgive others.
Sunday, September 10, 2017
A Quick Study: Reformation, Part 5, September 10, 2017
This quick study on Reformation History was given at the end of service at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on September 10, 2017. The text of the study is included and you may play the audio of the study here.
So, when we ended last week, in 1511, Johann von Staupitz, Luther’s priest, had sent him to Wittenberg, to begin to learn and teach. He encouraged Luther to focus on Christ’s merits and not his own sins. To that end, it was a good position for Luther, as he was able to give himself almost completely over to his students and his studies. He became learned in the Biblical languages, even more so that he already was. He was able to read the Scriptures with a new diligence.
You have to remember: most Christians in Luther’s day had never read any part of the Bible before, unless it was inscribed on a stone in the church somewhere. Most copies of the Word were hand-written at this time, usually accompanied by amazing artistry on the inside. Because of that, the price to own a personal copy of God’s Word was exorbitant. However, due to the invention of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1455, this cost began to drop, enough so that most churches were able to have a copy from the press.
For Luther, to have that Word in front of him, to be able to sit down and study the Word by reading it, would have been incredible. This would have been difficult for a monk, one who had given himself over completely to service towards others. Yet for Luther, a monk and now a scholar, he had opportunity aplenty. As Luther began to truly study the Word, beginning his lecturing in the Psalms, and a couple years later, Romans, God’s will and work became more and more clear.
Ultimately, in 1513, Luther had what many call his “tower experience.” He was studying for class in the Black Cloister, the dormitory of the monks of Wittenberg, as he was reading through Romans. Remember last week when it was said he heard the voice of God thundering in his heart, saying, “The just shall live by faith?” Well, that’s here in Romans 1:17, too. For all of Luther’s career, he read these words, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” When he did read them, he saw them as the reason for his hatred of God. After all, he thought, for sure, this was referring to the idea that if one has faith, they will behave righteously. Righteousness would come out of a person, by their own strength. Luther knew no righteousness like that, only sin.
Yet, when he read these words in 1513, suddenly they made sense. The Gospel of Christ reveals that, by His death and resurrection, He has opened the way to salvation, that He has declared each one who believes in Him by faith righteous. Righteousness is apprehended by faith, not by works. For Luther, this began to free him from his self-torture. He began to realize the deep love of God for him and not His anger. Luther began to know Jesus as the Great Redeemer, not just the Great Lawgiver. And for the first time in his life, Luther began to hear the words of absolution and believed that they were for him. He was Christ’s, Christ saved him. This experience for Luther would begin to shape the argument he would begin just a few years later, when he would post a little document on a big door and make the world explode.
So, when we ended last week, in 1511, Johann von Staupitz, Luther’s priest, had sent him to Wittenberg, to begin to learn and teach. He encouraged Luther to focus on Christ’s merits and not his own sins. To that end, it was a good position for Luther, as he was able to give himself almost completely over to his students and his studies. He became learned in the Biblical languages, even more so that he already was. He was able to read the Scriptures with a new diligence.
You have to remember: most Christians in Luther’s day had never read any part of the Bible before, unless it was inscribed on a stone in the church somewhere. Most copies of the Word were hand-written at this time, usually accompanied by amazing artistry on the inside. Because of that, the price to own a personal copy of God’s Word was exorbitant. However, due to the invention of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1455, this cost began to drop, enough so that most churches were able to have a copy from the press.
For Luther, to have that Word in front of him, to be able to sit down and study the Word by reading it, would have been incredible. This would have been difficult for a monk, one who had given himself over completely to service towards others. Yet for Luther, a monk and now a scholar, he had opportunity aplenty. As Luther began to truly study the Word, beginning his lecturing in the Psalms, and a couple years later, Romans, God’s will and work became more and more clear.
Ultimately, in 1513, Luther had what many call his “tower experience.” He was studying for class in the Black Cloister, the dormitory of the monks of Wittenberg, as he was reading through Romans. Remember last week when it was said he heard the voice of God thundering in his heart, saying, “The just shall live by faith?” Well, that’s here in Romans 1:17, too. For all of Luther’s career, he read these words, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” When he did read them, he saw them as the reason for his hatred of God. After all, he thought, for sure, this was referring to the idea that if one has faith, they will behave righteously. Righteousness would come out of a person, by their own strength. Luther knew no righteousness like that, only sin.
Yet, when he read these words in 1513, suddenly they made sense. The Gospel of Christ reveals that, by His death and resurrection, He has opened the way to salvation, that He has declared each one who believes in Him by faith righteous. Righteousness is apprehended by faith, not by works. For Luther, this began to free him from his self-torture. He began to realize the deep love of God for him and not His anger. Luther began to know Jesus as the Great Redeemer, not just the Great Lawgiver. And for the first time in his life, Luther began to hear the words of absolution and believed that they were for him. He was Christ’s, Christ saved him. This experience for Luther would begin to shape the argument he would begin just a few years later, when he would post a little document on a big door and make the world explode.
Sermon Audio: Romans 13:1-10, September 10, 2017
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 10, 2017 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Romans 13:1-10. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link and you may play the audio of the sermon here.
Sermon Text: Romans 13:1-10, September 10, 2017
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Romans, the 13th chapter:
My dear friends in Christ,
Last week, we especially spoke about the idea of what is owed to one another as we continue in the love of Christ. After all, we are called to love God and love our neighbor; the two go hand in hand. When we love God, we will want to love our neighbor, and when we love our neighbor, we are demonstrating our love for God.
But, what about loving something? What about loving something that is basically an entity that you will never truly grasp? What about loving people who aren’t your direct neighbors, who really have no home or life near you, but have the power and authority to make your life the way that they want it? What about loving something that will actively work to destroy you?
When I say the word “something,” I’m talking about what Paul calls the governing authorities. Your government. Your leaders. Your rulers. Now, remember that in Paul’s time, there was no real democracy. They had kings and caesars and tyrants and despots that anointed themselves or were the latest in a long line of rulers or who conquered an area and took the whole thing over. They didn’t really elect their leaders. If they disliked their leaders, they couldn’t just vote them out of office. If their leader embezzled funds, had an affair, said the wrong thing, or whatever, you were still probably stuck with them.
So, when he says to obey your governing authorities, Paul wasn’t talking about the times that it’s going well for you. He’s talking about when it gets really hard, when the government is imposing laws you don’t like, when they’re working to take away what you have because you’re a Christian, you are still called to obey them, to be subject to them.
The text this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Romans, the 13th chapter:
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
Last week, we especially spoke about the idea of what is owed to one another as we continue in the love of Christ. After all, we are called to love God and love our neighbor; the two go hand in hand. When we love God, we will want to love our neighbor, and when we love our neighbor, we are demonstrating our love for God.
But, what about loving something? What about loving something that is basically an entity that you will never truly grasp? What about loving people who aren’t your direct neighbors, who really have no home or life near you, but have the power and authority to make your life the way that they want it? What about loving something that will actively work to destroy you?
When I say the word “something,” I’m talking about what Paul calls the governing authorities. Your government. Your leaders. Your rulers. Now, remember that in Paul’s time, there was no real democracy. They had kings and caesars and tyrants and despots that anointed themselves or were the latest in a long line of rulers or who conquered an area and took the whole thing over. They didn’t really elect their leaders. If they disliked their leaders, they couldn’t just vote them out of office. If their leader embezzled funds, had an affair, said the wrong thing, or whatever, you were still probably stuck with them.
So, when he says to obey your governing authorities, Paul wasn’t talking about the times that it’s going well for you. He’s talking about when it gets really hard, when the government is imposing laws you don’t like, when they’re working to take away what you have because you’re a Christian, you are still called to obey them, to be subject to them.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
A Quick Study: Reformation, Part 4, September 3, 2017
This quick study on Reformation History was given at the end of service at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on September 3, 2017. The text of the study is included and you may play the audio of the study here.
Last week, we ended with Luther arriving in Rome in January of 1511. He had expected the golden city, the foundation of the entire Western World, to be a place of great piety and beauty. He wanted to see the relics of the saints, say the prayers, climb of holy steps all in order to win time off for his grandfather in Purgatory. This would have been such an amazing experience for him.
Yet, when he arrived within the city, he saw such iniquity everywhere he turned. There were brothels set up only for the monks. There were drunken priests wandering the city. Everything required money. The piety he desired to show as he prayed before the relics of the saints was interrupted by the owners, hustling the tourists along, all to make more money from the next person.
Now, most of these things, let’s be honest, Luther was used to seeing. There have always been corrupt people in the Church, people who speak one thing and do another. In fact, we all do that to one extent or another. Haven't you ever said to your kids, Do as I say, not as I do? Luther wasn't surprised necessarily by the acts he witnessed; he was, I believe, surprised that Rome, the Holy City, the city founded upon the back of Peter, the chosen place for the kingdom of God to reign in this world until Christ’s return, would allow such things within her.
The Pope was supposed to be the most pious man in all Christendom, ruling over the Roman Church, not for his own power, but out of love for those underneath him. How could such a leader allow his people, his parishioners, really all the people who claimed to be in Christ, do such harm to themselves in this sin? When a pastor knows a parishioner is sinning, shouldn’t he call them on it and not allow them to build a brothel so they’ll have easier access? How much more so then for the Pope?
Luther’s confidence in the goodness of the office of the pope was shaken that day, The Pope, apparently, was not concerned with the salvation of those in Rome, letting them give themselves over to the lusts of the flesh. It began to plant in his mind the idea that maybe, just maybe, the Pope did nothing outside of self-service, nothing that didn’t benefit himself. This thought would continue in Luther until in came to fruition in 1517.
Luther’s trip to Rome was supposed to ease his conscience, give him the ability to find a little peace, but instead, he found only more self torture. Now, one last story of Rome: the steps I keep referring to are called the Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs, said to be from the palace of Pontius Pilate himself. They are supposed to have been brought over from Jerusalem to Rome by the mother of Emperor Constantine. I don’t know if they are real, I somewhat doubt, but plenty of people still believe that they are. They are still in Rome, encased in wood, and you cannot walk up them, but must ascend only on your knees. Any other way is an offense.
Now, in Luther’s time, and actually still today, climbing these stairs upon your knees would earn indulgences for each step. Sometimes it was nine years, today it’s the entire time for all the sin you’ve committed to that point, and I don’t know how much Luther was expecting to get off for his grandfather. However, as he climbed those stairs, it is said that Luther heard the words, in his heart and in his mind, the words of Paul from Galatians 3:11 echoing, Habakkuk 2:4, ‘The just shall live by faith…” This wasn’t a still small voice, but a thunderous loud announcement. And then he heard it a second time. And he stood up, walked down the steps, and left. He stayed in Rome a little while longer and then returned home, thinking of the Italian proverb, “If there is a hell, Rome is built over it.”
When he got home, Luther suffered under the weight of his sins once again. His father confessor, his own priest to whom he confessed his sins, Johann von Staupitz, had a new plan. He would send Luther to Wittenberg, a brand new city with a brand new university. Perhaps if Luther would focus on academics, he could get off of his theological brooding. He could ignore his sins a little more and just focus on getting some work done. Little did Staupitz know that he just opened the door for Luther to take all of his doubts, all of his concerns, all of his observations, and use them to bring about change on a global scale.
Last week, we ended with Luther arriving in Rome in January of 1511. He had expected the golden city, the foundation of the entire Western World, to be a place of great piety and beauty. He wanted to see the relics of the saints, say the prayers, climb of holy steps all in order to win time off for his grandfather in Purgatory. This would have been such an amazing experience for him.
Yet, when he arrived within the city, he saw such iniquity everywhere he turned. There were brothels set up only for the monks. There were drunken priests wandering the city. Everything required money. The piety he desired to show as he prayed before the relics of the saints was interrupted by the owners, hustling the tourists along, all to make more money from the next person.
Now, most of these things, let’s be honest, Luther was used to seeing. There have always been corrupt people in the Church, people who speak one thing and do another. In fact, we all do that to one extent or another. Haven't you ever said to your kids, Do as I say, not as I do? Luther wasn't surprised necessarily by the acts he witnessed; he was, I believe, surprised that Rome, the Holy City, the city founded upon the back of Peter, the chosen place for the kingdom of God to reign in this world until Christ’s return, would allow such things within her.
The Pope was supposed to be the most pious man in all Christendom, ruling over the Roman Church, not for his own power, but out of love for those underneath him. How could such a leader allow his people, his parishioners, really all the people who claimed to be in Christ, do such harm to themselves in this sin? When a pastor knows a parishioner is sinning, shouldn’t he call them on it and not allow them to build a brothel so they’ll have easier access? How much more so then for the Pope?
Luther’s confidence in the goodness of the office of the pope was shaken that day, The Pope, apparently, was not concerned with the salvation of those in Rome, letting them give themselves over to the lusts of the flesh. It began to plant in his mind the idea that maybe, just maybe, the Pope did nothing outside of self-service, nothing that didn’t benefit himself. This thought would continue in Luther until in came to fruition in 1517.
Luther’s trip to Rome was supposed to ease his conscience, give him the ability to find a little peace, but instead, he found only more self torture. Now, one last story of Rome: the steps I keep referring to are called the Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs, said to be from the palace of Pontius Pilate himself. They are supposed to have been brought over from Jerusalem to Rome by the mother of Emperor Constantine. I don’t know if they are real, I somewhat doubt, but plenty of people still believe that they are. They are still in Rome, encased in wood, and you cannot walk up them, but must ascend only on your knees. Any other way is an offense.
Now, in Luther’s time, and actually still today, climbing these stairs upon your knees would earn indulgences for each step. Sometimes it was nine years, today it’s the entire time for all the sin you’ve committed to that point, and I don’t know how much Luther was expecting to get off for his grandfather. However, as he climbed those stairs, it is said that Luther heard the words, in his heart and in his mind, the words of Paul from Galatians 3:11 echoing, Habakkuk 2:4, ‘The just shall live by faith…” This wasn’t a still small voice, but a thunderous loud announcement. And then he heard it a second time. And he stood up, walked down the steps, and left. He stayed in Rome a little while longer and then returned home, thinking of the Italian proverb, “If there is a hell, Rome is built over it.”
When he got home, Luther suffered under the weight of his sins once again. His father confessor, his own priest to whom he confessed his sins, Johann von Staupitz, had a new plan. He would send Luther to Wittenberg, a brand new city with a brand new university. Perhaps if Luther would focus on academics, he could get off of his theological brooding. He could ignore his sins a little more and just focus on getting some work done. Little did Staupitz know that he just opened the door for Luther to take all of his doubts, all of his concerns, all of his observations, and use them to bring about change on a global scale.
Sermon Audio: Romans 12:9-21, September 3, 2017
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 3, 2017 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Romans 12:9-21. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link and you may play the audio of the sermon here.
Sermon Text: Romans 12:9-21, September 3, 2017
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Romans, the 12th chapter:
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
First of all, let me say that none of us are perfect. And of course, you know that. People let you down every day. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, we let others down each day, too. We know that we are not perfect.
Second, your good works avail you nothing. Even if you could work to get closer and closer to complete obedience to what God demands of us in the Law, you would never earn anything towards your own salvation. Never ever ever. There is no amount of obedience that you can have that will ever work towards your salvation. In fact, even your attempts, because you are not perfect, really only would earn you hell.
Third, that’s not the end of the story for you. If one and two were all alone, and they are true, but they’re not alone, the only news I could give you today would be that you are destined to suffer in the fires of hell. But, that’s not all the news I have for you. I have Good News: Jesus Christ the Righteous has died in your place and has earned salvation for you out of His own perfect obedience.
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