John 1,14. Christmas Day. Henric Schartau

John 1,14

Christmas Day  

Henric Schartau (1757-1825) 

I. 

In the Name of Jesus Christ 

Christmas Sermon, 1787.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1,14. 

Introduction.

Behold, the man is become as one of Us. 

1. (38) Thus God spoke to the first man, after he had fallen into sin, but also had received a promise of reparation through the woman’s seed, who should bruise the serpent’s head. In the previous verse we read that God had made for Adam and his wife coats of skin, which doubtless had been taken from a sacrificed animal, the first type of the great sacrifice of atonement. They now stood before God, externally clothed in the bloody garb of the sacrificial lamb and internally clothed in the bloody righteousness of the Savior, who should come in the fullness of time and shed His blood and give His life in death. God now points at them and says: “Behold, the man is become as one of Us” (Genesis 3,22). 

2. God did not speak scornfully, for it is below His dignity to scoff at an unfortunate creature. Neither did He speak reproachfully, for He had already chosen (39) a Helper, who should provide such a remedy that there would be no room for reproach. When God reconciled the world unto Himself, He did not reckon unto them their trespasses, No, God spoke lovingly, then as always. Man had aspired to be like God, in a measure and manner that could not be, and he thus cast himself into sin and wretchedness, but God took pity upon him and provided other ways and means, whereby man should be able to regain such likeness unto God as can be attained by man. Human nature should be united with one of the Godhead. A son of man should become a Son of God. The human nature of the Savior should be exalted to the majesty and perfection of God. As John the Baptizer pointed at the Savior and said: “Behold, the Lamb of God,” so God pointed at Adam, who was a prototype of Christ, the second Adam, pointed out “the mystery of godliness,” so that God should be “manifested in the flesh,” and said: “Behold, the man is become as one of us.” 

3. Just as human nature in Christ became a partaker of the majesty of the Godhead, so God likewise in Christ appropriated human nature and its characteristics; and so we, human beings, may apply these words to our selves and say concerning Christ, the second Adam: “Behold, God has become as one of us,” and this is to be our theme today. 

God Like One of Us.

4. We are then to show, first, that God has become like one of us and, secondly, to point out the salvation that lies therein. 

First Part. 

5. (40) God has become like one of us in person. Our text says: “The Word became flesh.” The self-existing Word, which was God Himself, became flesh, that is, appropriated human nature, which in the Scriptures is called flesh. The evangelist had previously and in a splendid manner described this Word. “In the beginning was the Word, etc. -- The Word became flesh.” The incomprehensible Divine Being revealed Himself even to the bodily senses, so that He could be seen like another man, Himself also being a real man. “We behold His glory.” But there was in Him, as any one mindful to see and to think might well observe, something more than the transient glory which wretched, powerless human beings may possess and bring forth. “We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.” The Infinite God, who has no limitations, and whose perfections are self-sufficient and without measure, has entered into union with a finite, limited being, whose life terminates in death, and whom God measures with a span. the Eternal, who was in the beginning, the Everlasting God, began to be a man when the Word became flesh. Almighty God, through whom all things are made, became united with a human being, whom He had Himself formed from that which does not appear. Without Him was not anything made that has been made.” He, in who was life, and who gives life to every living thing, began to live here as a man and closed His life dying as a man. The Word became flesh. In Him also as a man was fulfilled the word: “All flesh is grass.” (41) God became as one of us with reference to dwelling: “And dwelt among us.” He lived as we do in this world and found Himself in the wretched conditions appertaining to this life. He had previously, from the creation of man, dwelt among us as a man. The first abode of this King of Glory was a stable. Thereupon He lived in a poor carpenter’s cottage, and eventually He became like a beggar, without any fixed abode. “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head.” Nevertheless He endured such a life more than thirty years. Some who enter into this world immediately take their departure and lose their day long before evening. Some attain the medium span of life. He dwelt under the vault of heaven on His journey to Egypt, where He live some time as a stranger,. He lived in Nazareth among godless people. He spent days and nights in the desert and occasionally spent HIs nights on some mountain in prayer. He journeyed on the sea and sought repose in the ship. Finally His body found rest in the grave, while His soul entered into the abode of eternal peace. In short, there are no circumstances nor conditions belonging to this present life in which the Son of God has not become like one of us, except one, that, while He was true man, He was not a sinner. He was a man: “Being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man.” 

Second Part.

6. We are here to point out the blessedness which lies in the fact that God has become as one of us. 

7. This blessedness is contained in the words “full of (42) grace and truth.” As the glory revealed in Christ was from God, so also are grace and truth infinitely great and divine, eternal and unfailing. “We behold His glory, glory of the only begotten from the Father.” 

8. It was the glory which the Son of God had with the Father from eternity, by virtue of His eternal birth of the Father, the glory of the only begotten Son. This glory was revealed on several occasions in the life of Jesus. It was seen by men, in a real though not absolute sense: “glory as of the only begotten.” At His birth, it was seen by shepherds though they were men of low degree. “The glory of the Lord shone round about them,” when the angel of the Lord brought them “good tidings of great joy.” The glory thus revealed was full of grace, for the angel made the proclamation: “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people.” It was also portrayed in the angels’ song of praise: 

“Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth peace

among men in whom He is well pleased.” 

This glory was also full of truth, for the truth of the Messianic promises now became confirmed through their fulfillment, from the first promise given in paradise, concerning the woman’s Seed which should bruise the serpents’s head, to the las proclaimed by Malachi: “The Lord whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,” for, the angel said: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” In the angels’ message and song of praise was verified the prophetic rhapsody of Isaiah: (43) 

“Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth,

and break forth into singing, O mountains; 

for the Lord has comforted His people, 

and will have compassion upon His afflicted.” 

9. The glory of Jesus appeared on several occasions during His humiliation, especially in His miracles, but it nevertheless shone most brightly in His death, when “He was despised and rejected of men.” Then His glory shone brightly into the eyes of the centurion, who, though he was a blind heathen, saw the glory of the Only-begotten Son, and said: “Truly this was the Son of God.” Upon His resurrection Jesus acclaimed the full use of His Divine glory, but it was only His friends who could now and at His ascension see His glory. Nevertheless it was full of grace and truth whenever and to whomsoever it appeared. Grace was thereby procured, and the truth from heaven confirmed. 

10. God has become as one of us, and therefore we need not become like one of the devils. When man acquiesced in the will of the devil he became like the fallen angel. The Satanic image was impressed on the human soul. Man became likeminded with the devil and began to love evil as he does. Man was therefore destined to receive the sam e unblessed abode and the same frightful reward as the devil, since his works were like those of the devil; but: “To this end was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” By virtue of the fact that God became as one of us, came to the earth and dwelt among us, paid our debts, suffered for our sins and fulfilled the law, there is wrought a wonderful transformation. The Spirit of (44) God is by the Word sent into our hearts, the image of the evil one is destroyed in the new birth, we are justified and delivered from the power of the devil and from eternal condemnation, which hs been prepared for the devil and his angels. “Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same; so that through death He might bring to nought him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage,. For truly not of angels does He take hold, but He takes hold of the seed of Abraham.” 

11. God became as one of us, and therefore we may become like one of the Godhead. The Son of God appropriated human nature, and therefore we “may become partakers of the Divine nature.” The Son of God became a man, “in all things made like unto His brethren,” though He was “The effulgence of God’s glory, and the very image of His substance”; and therefore the image of God, lost in the fall, can e restored in us, when we become “conformed ot the image of His Son.” Atonement required such likeness. “It behooved Him in all things ot be made like unto His brethren, so that He might be merciful and a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” When the Savior made this propitiation, God considered Him as one of us, like us even in matters where, in Himself, He was not like us; in order that we should by God be considered like Jesus, even in matters where we were otherwise entirely unlike Him “Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on (45) our behalf; so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 

12. A person who has attained such likeness to Christ, “who is the image of God,” will by virtue thereof attain an even greater likeness to Him in the day of His advent. Concerning this the Apostle John writes: “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we will  be. We know that, if He will be manifested, we will be like Him, for we will then see Him even as He is.” On that day the supreme likeness of the saints to their Savior will extend even to their bodies. “We wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will fashion anew the body of our humiliation, so that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto Himself.” 

Application. 

13. Can you, my dear listeners, say, as John did: “We beheld His glory?” The blind cannot see, neither can those who are sleeping. Are your thoughts blind and is your heart asleep to all this gracious glory? Do you not, even now when we commemorate the Savior’s birth, perceive the blessedness which was revealed, when God became as one of us? Do you not know of any other blessedness at Christmas than that of eating and drinking and that of earthly pleasures? You are then wasting your days of grace, you are remaining in the unblessed condition from which Jesus would save you. He became like you in order that you should not become like the devils, but you have made yourself thus by (46) breaking the covenant and dissolving the fellowship with God entered into in Holy Baptism. You have surrendered to Satan to do his will and to be of his mind. You have done this by opposing God and continuing in sin. Do you not see that you have become like the devil, for “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning?” “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do.” What else can you then expect than that which the devil himself anticipates with fear and trembling, “a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries”? Nevertheless, the very salvation of which you are unmindful still awaits you, to be gained, if you but heed its call and seek thereafter while it is yet to be obtained. If you perceive a somewhat clearer glimpse of your unblessedness, oh, this is a beam beam of the glory of the Only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. Be concerned that, by the Word of God, you may better understand the heavenly truth which has begun to enlighten your darkened mind. The power of the Word which you feel entering your heart is an earnest of God’s grace. Accept it, and pray that you may receive more. Keep that which you have received, lest it too be lost. 

14. But someone says: “I am not entirely blind, but still I cannot see the glory of grace in Jesus. I can see nothing but my sins with their ugliness and condemnation.” Bless the Lord that you have been thus enlightened, to begin with, and continue to pray as David did: (47) 

“Open my eyes, so that I may behold

Wondrous things from Your Law.” 

15. Look longingly for the glory of Jesus, which He has revealed in His Word; look for the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ. The time will arrive, when you shall be able to confess with the congregation of true believers: “We beheld His glory, gory as of the Only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Son of God has taken upon Himself to suffer the unblessedness and distress from which you are suffering and to become like you therein, in order that you may attain the great glory of becoming like Him. Jesus is willing and able to reveal His glory to precisely such an one as you, for the mercy which He shows and the salvation which He confers will in such as you redound to His praise. Do not forget the hidden delight which you have already experienced, because God has become as one of us. Cherish the new hope thus enkindled so that all may work together for good. 

16. When I look for those who can say: “We beheld His glory,” there doubtless is here present some one who can say: “Yes, in the glory of God’s commandments I saw my perverted life, my corrupted heart and the punishment I had merited, but the Lord also opened the eyes of my understanding to the “Light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,” and I saw, not with carnal eyes nor in illusive visions, but in the clear gospel I saw, as clearly and certainly as ever I could see with my bodily eyes, that God became a man even for me, so that Christ had by God been considered as a sinner; and so I believe that, for His sake, I am considered (48) righteousness as He, and renewed to His likeness, and I can now hope to become like Him in eternal honor and glory.” -- “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see!” But beware, lest the spirit of the world may obscure this glory, or the heat of passion may darken the brightness which the eye of faith has acquired by beholding the glory of the Only-begotten Son of God. Remember that there still remains in you somewhat of the image of Satan, which Jesus overthrew when He delivered you out of the power of darkness. Fight the good fight to obliterate every trait of the evil one, and make it your earnest endeavor to become more and more like Him, who for that purpose became like you.  Amen. 

Mark 13,34. A Sermon for Magistrates. Henric Schartau

Mark 13,34 

A Sermon for Magistrates  

Henric Schartau (1757-1825) 

1. (194) In the Name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

2. It is as when a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, to each one his work, commanded also the porter to watch. Watch therefore: for you do not know when the lord of the house arrives. 

3. In this parable Jesus Christ represents the condition of every man with reference to the account of his administration, which the Lord of all the earth shall unexpectedly demand of him, and the watchfulness therefore necessary in our stewardship. “It is as when a man, sojourning,” etc. Mark 13,34. 

4.After Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man, had with His blood bought us to be His own, and had with grievous and bitter toil provided us with gifts and appointed us as stewards, He was declared to be “Lord of all.” After He had come down to this world and here taken upon Himself human nature, after He had spent thirty years sharing the misery of this life, He now, in the parable before us, considered heaven to be another, yes, a foreign country, although He “was in heaven” even while here on earth. He departed in a visible manner and was taken up to heaven in the (195) sight of the disciples. Before this, however, He left the goods in His house, His possessions in the reign of nature and of grace, in the care of His servants. He gave them “authority, and to each one his work.” The porter, or the ministry, received a special admonition to watch and await the return of the master, which should certainly take place, though no one knew when. The Lord Jesus now extends and applies this admonition to each and every one: “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the lord of the house arrives.” 

5. This same Lord of all lords has, even since His departure to the Father, in His almighty government retained earthly rulers and judges. In His Word He asserts that these officials are retained and sustained by the government of God. They have not, like the wild beast, received their thrones and power from the dragon, but from God, “for the powers that be are ordained by God.” The office is from God, though men determine who shall manage it. 

6. Inasmuch as a judge has received his office and the power thereto appertaining, he is obligated to render an account to the Lord from whom he has received his office. The admonition in our text,then, concerns also judges: “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the lord of the house arrives.” Let us pray that they as well as all men may humbly take the admonition to heart. “Our Father,” etc. 

Text 2. Corinthians 5,10 

7. For we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things don in the body, according to what he has done, whether it is good or bad. 

Proposition. (196) 

THE TRIAL AND FINAL JUDGMENT OF AN EARTHLY JUDGE AS A WEIGHTY MATTER FOR HIS CONSIDERATION IN THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS OFFICIAL DUTIES

1. The trial and judgment of an earthly judge in his official capacity.

2. A weighty matter for his consideration in the performance of his official duties. 

First Part. 

The Trial and Judgment of an Earthly Judge in the Day of Judgment. 

8. This trial is inevitable, for “we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ.” It is not in the matter of judgment as in that of conversion, that a person may do as he pleases. No, judgment will be made, thought we may not like it. You cannot in judgment act as you may attempt to act when called to the reign, namely, excuse yourself and stay away. No, you must be manifest, even though you might prefer to be buried under mountains and hills, for “we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ.” Such an investigation awaits us all, consequently also judges, for our text says, “we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ.” There are certain events which are very common among men, but none of these is more common than judgments. It is a general law that we must all (197) die, and yet there have been exceptions even to this law. Enoch and Elijah were taken to heaven without any previous separation of body and soul. On the last day there shall be numerous exceptions to this law of mortality, for “we shall not all sleep,” says Paul with reference to the human race. Concerning those who shall live at the end of the world, he says more especially that they shall be changed. But even on that very day, when so many shall escape death, no one will  escape judgment: “For we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ” 

9. There will be a careful, considerate investigation on the last day. The apostle expresses this with the word “manifest. “We must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ.” The whole man, with all his relationships, shall then be brought into the light which beams forth from the all-seeing eyes of Jesus Christ. This implies, not only what the apostle says at another place: “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God,” gut even more, namely, what Solomon says in the last words of Ecclesiastes: “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.” 

10. Then a judge also shall be made manifest in all his official transactions, not only in matters pertaining to him personally and to other so f his profession, which shall all be made known, but even everything that has taken place in the official performance of his judicial duties. The purpose he had in view when he sought for so responsible a position and the ways and means used to attain so great a distinction shall be made manifest, not only according to the conception of a light-hearted (198) and covetous world, but in the light of God’s Word, which even now shines, but which shall then reproachingly enlighten consciences where prejudice and blindness mostly prevailed. Everything that the judge has said in matters belonging to his office shall then be revealed, even the most hidden motives actuating him, for “the Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” 

11. Upon this trial follows a stern and irrevocable judgment. Paul expresses this emphatically. Instead of the judgment he mentions its executions, punishments or reward, for here execution follows immediately upon the judgment. He does not say that each one may be judged according to what he has done, but “that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done.” Nor will the result, as is sometimes the case when men pass judgment, be different from that which the appearance of things led one to expect. No, you may know beforehand what the result will be, if your conscience is enlightened by the Spirit of God so that you know what you have done, for “each one shall receive the things done in the body,” that is the things done while he lived. Here the judge is not guided by the false testimony of perjurers, for the deeds shall themselves bear witness. They shall be the data and material for the judgment, and “each one shall receive the things done.” 

12. A judge, no doubt, has opportunity to do much good, for he has great power. If he has permitted the Holy Spirit to convert his heart to believe on Jesus Christ, so that in the love of Christ he desires to do that which is right and good, that is good according to the Word (199) of God, then he has somewhat of his Savior’s power also. It is then certain that he will do good, for what he does comes from a heart cleansed and sanctified by grace. Nor will he fail of his reward, not indeed by reason of his own merits, but by reason of the grace of God, for Christ’s sake alone. The judge’s unselfishness shall be rewarded with imperishable, heavenly treasures, instead of the gifts of perishable silver and gold which he has sacrificed. Having been just in his judgments, he shall bee crowned with the “crown of righteousness.” For his kindness and patience with the cries of distress he shall “find mercy of the Lord in that day,” when “each one shall receive the things done in the body, whether it be good or bad.” 

13. On the other hand, woe to the unrighteous judge, “who did not fear God, and did not regard man,” for he shall receive the deeds done in the body. The bribes which he has received so that he might pervert justice shall be as an eternal fire in his conscience, and the tears of those who have suffered wrong shall unceasingly trouble his soul, for “each one shall receive the things done in the body,” and be judged according to his deeds. 

Second Part. 

A Weighty Matter for the Consideration of a Judge in the Performance of his Official Duties 

14.  The final judgment is a weighty matter. According to what has just been said, the coming judgment is important, for there will not then as now be any way of escape for an unrighteous judge. Things cannot be buried in darkness before Him “who has eyes like a (200) flame of fire.” It shall be impossible to complicate the trial and to give matters a false appearance, for the Supreme Judge is an Omniscient God, who searches the reins and hearts of men. It shall not avail against the Almighty, to use a power one no longer has,m nor to resort to new deeds of violence in defense of previous wrongs. 

15. The final judgment is a weighty matter for a judge, for on it depends his eternal welfare. My beloved, what is temporal welfare in comparison with eternal welfare, and of what avail is the former if the latter is neglected? It is truly nothing but imagination, a dream, often mingled with apprehensions and pain. How rapidly this changing stream of time flows on; and we are carried along soon to face the Judge and to receive the verdict of our eternal destiny as prepared by ourselves in this present life. 

16. This final trial and judgment is important for a judge, for he will then be confronted by a situation which a judge fears above all things in this life. To have all his actions and judicial decision subjected to an official public examination has always -- and rightly so -- seemed to a public officer a terrible ordeal. But this, our text tells us, shall certainly happen on the last day. Even the book of conscience will be opened and the whole world shall be able to read what is there written. If a judge should be judged by his inferiors, yes, by those whom he has judged, he would consider this very humiliating, but this very thing shall happen. A judge, who has not been sanctified by the Holy Spirt, nor has by the Holy God been received into fellowship with the saints that are to judge the world, will be (201) judged by them. If he has been a man of the world, here in life, if from his judgment seat he has spoken of the world, then he shall have to suffer the disgrace in the day of judgment of seeing among his own judges those whom he here despised and judged. 

17. A judge should consider this weighty matter, namely, that a careful examination and a stern judgment await him in the day of judgment. 

18. He should be anxious to have his own case adjudged before that day: the matters that concern his own person, the matter of his salvation; hat the offenses committed by him in office and out of office, for which his conscience accuses him in his solitary moments and in times oif distress; that sins condemned in the Word of God may be conquered and that he may desist from his denials and excuses and no longer resist the Holy Spirit. He should be anxious that the Holy Spirit may by means of the Word reveal Jesus Christ in his conscience, so that he may realize how the Savior has in His death fulfilled the judgment against us and that in His resurrection He was “taken away from oppression and judgment.” A judge should remember that “the Father has given all judgment unto the Son,” so that it is He who can make the serfs of sin free indeed from the punishment of serfdom which He has Himself endured and justify them with the righteousness which He has purchased for them with His own obedience. to seek after this in the Word of the Lord and to call upon His Name should be matters of chief concern to a judge, for otherwise his whole official position becomes fundamentally iniquitous and his judgment fearful, whether men praise or censure him.  

19. (202) A judge should consider this weighty matter that he might conduct his office in the fear of Gd. The Apostle Paul makes an analogous conclusion in the verse following our text: “knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men,” we deal gently and tactfully with men. Paul realized this as a teacher, and judges should come to a similar realization, that they may be kind and sympathetic in their office, remembering that they must give account of their stewardship, and that a careful examination and a stern judgment are pending. With this object in view this doctrine is presented in the Word of God by the apostle of Christ, and with the same object in view I have presented it today. 

Application.

20. Most worthy auditors, you who are appointed to be judges over the people, hear now the voice of God, a message from the Judge of all the world, even of you. Hear the word now preached to you and according to which you are to be judged on the last day, hear it in such a manner that it may, even before that day, be a judge in your thoughts, in your inmost hearts, in your consciences, in order that you ay with free consciences and courageous hearts proceed to judge your brothers. Do not then forget that you are someday to be judged exactly as you have judged others. As is done before your judgment seats, so it will be done in that supreme judgment when each one will receive the things done in the body. The Lord God grant that even the, on the day of judgment, you may be judges, that you may be numbered among the many thousand saints with whom the Lord will come “to execute judgment upon (203) all, and to “convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 

21. It is not judges alone who are to be examined in the last day, for “we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ.” Judgment will then be passed, not only upon the deeds of judges, but also upon my conduct as a preacher; upon your way of bringing up your children, O father and mother; upon your manner of living together, O man and wife; upon your conduct in your parental home, O child; upon your conduct as a servant. Consider this matter in the light of the Word, before that final judgment will be made. Pass the sentence upon yourself in confession and prayer before the mercy seat, and you will obtain mercy and not come into condemnation, but pass from death to life. Beware of passing judgment upon the consciences of others, for that judgment belongs to God; or upon their faults, for that belongs to the judges. Still less does it behoove you to pass judgment privately upon judges in their public transaction, for you are not a judge at all, least of all their judge. “Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord arrives.”  Amen. 

Romans 13,12. 2nd Prayer Sunday. Henric Schartau

Romans 13,12; Isaiah 29,15 

2. Prayer Sunday, 1799 

Henric Schartau (1757-1825)

(61) Introduction. 

Up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy the city. 

1. It was with fear and amazement that Lot brought this message and warning to his sons-in-law. We read the narrative in Genesis 19,1-14. 

2. It is not my purpose to appear as a prophet predicting destruction on this place, but the whole condition of an unconverted man is like that of a city or a place where he rests in security, but whence he must depart. Therefore, O sinner, cast your sins away, lest for their sake you are cast away from God’s presence. Forsake sin, lest you be eternally forsaken by God. Up, get out of this place! Sin belongs to hell. It comes from there and it tends thither. Everyone who clings to his sins in life and to whom sins adhere in death must follow them whither they tend, to the abode of the devil, who is the author of sin. If you are his subject, you must at last abide with your master. Up, get out of this place! Nor imagine that this is an easy matter. The departure out of Sodom, though only an earthly journey, demanded some preparation, for which a certain brief time was allowed. Your whole life is granted for such a purpose. Use it well and prepare yourself (62) for the great final journey. Think not that grace is obtained with a mere sigh, nor imagine that you shall be converted by uttering a few words. Do not venture to the brink of eternity, for you may soon be precipitated into its bottomless depths. Let not the devil edge you along to the slippery ice of sickness, for the storms of despair may bring you out on the boundless regions of eternity, where you may not be able to stop in your flight. Beware, lest perchance, after repeated delays and postponements in the matter of your soul’s salvation, the day when you would repent find you in the depths of eternal perdition. Up, get out of this place! 

Texts. 

The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Romans 13,12. 

Therefore I now bow the knees of my heart and ask You, O Lord, for pardon. Alas, O Lord, I have sinned, I have sinned, and I know my transgressions. Manasseh, v. 11. 

Woe unto them who hide deep their counsel from Yahweh, and whose works are in the dark, and who say: Who sees us? and who knows us? Isaiah 29,15.

Proposition. 

The Grace of God as a Refuge for an Awakened Sinner. 

1. Whence a sinner must flee to find refuge with God. Romans 13,12. 

2. Whither an awakened sinner must flee. Manasseh 11. 

3. What he must aspire to, if he shall retain his refuge with God and His grace. Isaiah 29,15. 

(63) First Part. 

3. It is not necessary to remind an intelligent audience that the apostle does not here mean a natural night and day; but it may be in place to say,m for the enlightenment of the simple-hearted, that the apostle speaks of the night of ignorance, blindness and carelessness in the matters pertaining to eternity, a night which covered the whole earth before the time of Christ and His apostles. It was the night of paganism. The condition then prevailing in the world was like that of a natural night. A light may be lit in a room, and there one can see, but outside in space one cannot see anything, for darkness pervails out there. The small country inhabited by Israel was in comparison with the rest of the world like a small cottage on a vast plain,. Here a light was burning, for Israel was “entrusted with the oracles of God.” Elsewhere there prevailed the darkness of idolatry. Here and there among the Jews appeared a true Israelite with concern for another Canaan than that in which he lived. But elsewhere throughout the world, a brutish carelessness expressed itself in tis fashion: :Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we must die.” In Israel some were awake, but in the heathen world sleep was everywhere prevalent. 

4. With the advent of day that vast field became quite as well lit up as the little room where the candle previously burned. When Jesus came and sent His apostles to preach the gospel of the reign and the way thither, the heathens learned to know the way quite as well as the Jews. They needed not, like the Ethiopian eunuch, to make extensive journeys to the land of Israel for enlightenment, for the light was brought to them and set (64) upon its own candlestick. Night was far spent and day was at hand. Indeed, the heathens showed a rather greater earnestness and concernment for the salvation of their souls than the people of Israel itself. 

5. What has here been said concerning the heathen world can also be said concerning every man who is indifferent with reference to his soul. There is night, and at night on cannot see, even though he has perfect eyes, for darkness prevents their right use. If a traveler then asks his companion, if they are in the right way, the latter must admit that he does not know with certainty. A similar admission would be made by spiritually blind sinners, if they spoke sincerely. They may trouble themselves greatly to convince other of their assurance that they are the children of God; but this very troublesome effort shows that they are laboring against a secret voice which dictates the opposite. Their eagerness to defend themselves and to give reason for their pretended hope shows that the hope is not very secure, but that they have reason to fear that some one may rob them of it. Indeed, my friend, assurance of salvation comes not thus lightly into the heart. It comes from God, and if it is obtained, it is not easily removed. No man can give it, nor can any man take it away. Indifferent sinners cannot with certainty know where they are, nor where they are to abide; for in their hearts there is night. The are asleep and lie as unconcerned as those who are asleep, quite unafraid, quite unable to save themselves, even from the most obvious danger. 

6. It is from such slumber that a sinner must be awakened, but it cannot be done until God quickens him. The sinner is even more unable than one physically sleeping to awake himself. (65) Jesus is like a good friend, who notices that fire has broken out in the house of His friend, while all there are asleep. He hastens thither and raps at the door. He calls to the people to awake and save themselves. Thus Jesus represents Himself in Revelation 3,20. It now happens as when one naturally sleeping awakes. While half awake he hears the rapping and the cry. Finally he awakes, opens his eyes, sees his danger, leaps up and endeavors to save himself. In like manner an awakening sinner perceives something unusual when hearing the Word of God, becomes sorrowful and affrighted, convinced of his spiritual danger and impelled to seek after salvation. When a soul is thus awakened and is endeavoring to flee from the wrath of God, it is necessary that the following instruction e given to him in order that he may know what it is that he must flee from, if he is to find refuge in the grace of God. 

7. This instruction is given by the apostle in analogy with the departure of night and the advent of day: “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” The works of darkness are intentional sins. Such sins are called “works of darkness,” for they are preferably done in darkness. The sinner is bent on sinning, though he may be ashamed of the abominable appearance of his sin, and so he sins in secret. He chooses the darkness of the night or, at any rate, wishes to have his sins quite as forgotten as if they were covered with the darkness of night. Intentional sins are also called “works of darkness,” because it is the Prince of Darkness who tempts man to sin, fortifies him in sin, and induces him to remain (66) in sin. Hence, such sins are also, in John’s first epistle, called the works of the devil: “To this end was the Son of God manifested, so that He might destroy the works of the devil.” An intentional sinner sins, not by reason of ignorance or imprudence, but, even as the devil, with malicious deliberation. Intentional sins are also called “the works of the flesh.” It is from all such sins that an awakened sinner must flee. It is such sins that he must “cast off.” 

8. You tell me that you cannot understand this. “I have often debated with myself,” you say, “how I might bring about such a change in my life, but, in the midst of such self-deliberation, I have finally stopped in the same mind as before.” I reply, do you knot know whence this comes?  You have the one hand full of sin and the other full of the world; you should cast them away with both hands, but, before you do this, you look at the one and behold the other, and you thus become loath to part with these friends of yours. You are doing like Eve, looking at the forbidden fruit and becoming infatuated with it. While thus deliberating with yourself, you become reversed in mind. Instead of casting away sin and the world, you clasp them to your heart. No, you must act rapidly; if you are to cast them away, it will not do to shove them away slowly; you must cast off the works of darkness, or, as Jesus expresses it, cut off the aggravating foot or hand, pluck out the enticing eye. 

9. Someone again remarks: “I have tried to cast them off, but I have not been able to do it. I have determined never to do thus and thus again, but still I have sinned again. Angered with myself, I have resolutely (67) promised that it should never happen again, but I have nevertheless again fallen into sin.” I reply: Of course, you have fallen. You have tried to cast off the works of darkness, but you have not put on the armor of light. This must follow in life, as it follows in the words of the apostle. The devil will not easily let go of his captive. You cannot unarmed escape from his superior power. When he notices that you are becoming concerned about your salvation, he acts like a spider when a fly tries to get loose from his web. As the spider winds new cords about the wretched little fly, so the devil arranges new entertainments or devices to hold captive, even more securely, the soul that has begun to seek for rescue. So then, you need weapons, as the apostle has said, weapons of light against the Prince of Darkness. Of course, we are not here speaking of natural light. “The armor of light” signifies the Word of God, which in the Scriptures is called a light and also a weapon. 

10. “Yes,” you now rejoin, “but I have the Word of God, and I read it now and then, and still no change has taken place in me.” I reply: This is due to the fact that, as you say, you use the Word “now and then.” If a warrior were thus to leave his weapons hanging on the wall, his enemies might well surprise him and slay him, before he could get his musket and defend himself. He must in time of war carry his weapons with him; they must be, as it were, a part of his dress and be ever at hand for ready use. This is Paul’s teaching when he says: “Put on the armor of light.” If you leave your Bible lying on the shelf, the tempter may overtake you before you can look up your Bible and (68) find out what to do in your present exigency. You must see to it that the Word of God is as near to you as your very clothing, so that it may enter into your mind with knowledge and into your heart with desire. You must see to it that the Word of God is planted into your life, and that you may be clothed with this weapon of light. Then you will be enabled to flee from the former manner of sinful life and to cast off the works of darkness. 

Second Part. 

11. We here ask whither an awakened sinner shall flee, and I reply, He must flee to the grace of God. We first note what it is that impels him to take refuge in the grace of God. It is a thorough knowledge of sin and its wretchedness. Manasseh, whose words constitute our Second Text, was a king of Judah. He had been very much infatuated with the errors of idolatry and had committed many sins. He had even been cruel to those who were not like-minded with him. God chastised and punished him with defeat at the hands of a foreign king. In his captivity Manasseh began to think, and it was probably now that he offered the prayer of which our text is a part. He describes his state of mind, saying: “I know my transgressions.” Behold, O sinner! When a man arrives at true knowledge of his sins, he does not consider them merely as shortcomings and faults, but a awful transgressions. then you realize that you have transgressed all the commandments of God, and that even the sins which are deemed negligible by the world are abominable before God. In this way you learn to understand that you have sinned against all the commandments, but that (69) the source of your unhappiness lies even deeper, not in your manner of living, but in your heart, not in your acts, but in your person. Manasseh expresses this by repeating his confession, pointing out his own person. “I have sinned, I have sinned.” Thus you discover the sinful depravity of your heart, O sinner, and get a clear conception of your corrupted nature. There is the root which bears the fruit of evil. There is the well-spring of corruption. When you realize tis, you look in vain for refuge. Anguish and weeping then prove inefficient to blot out such an immense indebtedness, and you find it utterly impossible to expect any real improvement by the mere exertions of a depraved soul. There is no other refuge left for you than the grace of God, and you look in vain for another. Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ! He has opened “a new and living way.” With the suffering in His flesh, He wrought atonement for the wrath of God, and opened a way to the grace of God. By means of what He did while walking here in the garb of human flesh and blood, Jesus purchased an eternal righteousness, which suffices throughout all time even for you. 

12. This refuge in the grace of God is taken with prayer. “Therefore I bow the knees of my heart and ask You, O Lord, for pardon.” This is not a thoughtless and careless repetition of a few prayers, for when Manasseh speaks of bowing the knees of his heart, he means what Jesus expresses by saying that we should “pray in spirit and in truth.” An awakened sinner asks for the grace which Jesus purchased with His atonement and righteousness. He has no other plea to offer than the merits of Jesus, no other basis for his hope to be heard than (70) God’s promise to grant this grace to everyone who desires to accept it for nothing, as the grace of Jesus Christ, for His sake and on His account. 

13. An awakened sinner comes with a sincere confession of his sins and seeks refuge in the grace of God. Manasseh said: “Alas, O Lord, I have sinned.” Such a confession is not needed for the Lord’s sake. He knows, far better than you do, your sinful ways; it is He who has shown them to you. The confession is needed for your own sake, so that you may the better learn to know how loathsome your sins are, and that your heart may be opened before God to make your confession with sincerity and confidence. When David thus sought refuge in the grace of God, he tells us that he approached the mercy seat and found what he sought, for God found room in the heart thus opened, and His Spirit was enabled to grant a true faith, bringing with it the forgiveness of sins. 

Third Part. 

14. When an awakened sinner has found refuge in the grace of God, it nevertheless becomes necessary for him to flee from everything which would deprive him of the grace he has found. I shall therefore now proceed to show that an awakened sinner must flee from sin, after he has found refuge in the grace of God. 

15. A person just converted meets his greatest dangers among his former associates, and therefore he must leave them and especially flee from those who do not have any regard for the grace of God. Their mockery might soon make the new convert ashamed of Jesus and His Word and thus make him again unworthy of the grace which he has just received. Their threats might (71) make him afraid and lead him like Peter to deny his Lord. their persuasive speech might deceive an easily perverted heart to follow them back to the former ways. Their examples might quicken passions so recently subdued and again bring the saved soul into the thraldom of sin. Their conversation might suffocate the feeble spirit and gradually extinguish its flame. Therefore it is entirely necessary for a new convert to flee from the evil associations of those who are not converted nor wish to be. The Scriptures also counsel and admonish us to avoid such companionship, saying: “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners.” This was God’s intent when He forbade the Jews’ yoking together a horse and an ox not that the yoking together of animals of different species was wrong in itself, but it had a deep significance, namely that which Paul expresses when he says: “Do not be unequally yoked with the unbelievers.” It is quite sufficient that we cannot entirely avoid their company, since we cannot escape from this world. It is enough that we are constrained to deal with them in matters pertaining to this present life. It is enough that our Christian sense of duty now and then demands that we must endure those who are evil, and that our common charity occasionally makes such associations necessary. We should all the more take are to avoid unnecessary associations and undue intimacy with those of a carnal and worldly mind. 

16. “But,” you say, “how shall I be able to know who they are, in order that I may beware of them?” I reply: This is precisely what I propose to show in the light of our text. It mentions three characteristics of those (72) from whom a person must flee after he has taken refuge in the grace of God. “Woe unto them who hide deep their counsel from Yahweh” etc. 

17. First, they seek to hide their counsel. When you meet a person who shows a wrong purpose but immediately,m when caught, turns about, saying: “O no, that was not my intention. I did not mean to say that, but this is what I meant”; when you find people who do not shoot whither they aim, then you must beware lest you be entangled, like Eve, by the craftiness of the serpent. 

18. Secondly, there are those who are somewhat more simple-minded. “Whose works are in the dark.” This is another characteristic of those from whom a converted person must flee. Converted people are like the Roman of old who built his house with windows on all sides, so that everybody could see what he was about. Jesus characterizes a converted man when He says: “He that does the truth comes to the light so that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.” A converted person might indeed permit another converted person to see everything he does, yes even open his heart to be read like a book. “But everyone who does ill hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his works should be reproved,.” If you notice someone who is very much inclined to deny what he does and to obliterate the marks of his footsteps along the ways that he has walked, continually anxious that no one shall know what he is about, such an one is certainly a child of deception. He assuredly has something which he needs to conceal since he thus hides himself. 

19. (73) With this extreme cunning, with all these devices, the children of this world imagine that much is being accomplished, to the extent that it has become a maxim with them, so that they say: “Who sees us? and who knows us?” This is a third characteristic of the unconverted. they will not listen to the idea that anyone might be able to understand their inner condition. They become intolerant, if anyone intimates that he has the slightest conception of this. They immediately protest against judgments and condemnations, and it is a real doctrine in the system of the unconverted that, in as much as one cannot search a man’s heart, no one can make conclusion with reference to the condition of another’s soul. When you find people who lose their peace as soon as a spiritual conversation is directed their way, you may indeed flee, and be glad, if you can make your escape and save yourself, without stopping to deliberate how you might do something for their persuasion. 

Application. 

20. Let me now, in conclusion, admonish you with the words recorded in Ephesians 5,14. “Awake, you who sleeps, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon you.” If you hear the Word of the Lord more clearly now than otherwise, then awake and arise, lest you awake with the rich man in the flames of hell. If you awake and are enabled to realize the danger of your soul, beware, lest you merely awake and remain lying there; awake rightly and do not sin, awake and flee from your former sinful life, and see that you cast away the works of darkness, to the end that Christ may enlighten you. By walking in the light of grace you shall be enlightened. If you diligently seek for refuge, you shall find it in the grace which your Savior has procured. If you are laden with sins, if you are laboring against the assaults of temptations, then your Savior offers you a refuge, saying: “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” And after you have found this refuge, He assures you that you shall not be excluded therefrom, for whosoever comes to Him shall in no wise be cast out.  Amen. 

Matthew 7,14. St. Michael's Day. Henric Schartau

Matthew 7,14

St. Michael’s Day

Henric Schartau (1757-1825)

(170) Introduction. 

For narrow is the gate, and straight the way, that leads unto life, and few are they who find it. 

1. Hear this, O man, you who are hoping and longing for eternal life. Your Savior, who has opened the way, says that you cannot enter without opposition and, hence, that there are few who attain the goal. “For narrow is the gate, and straight the way,” etc. Matthew 7,14. 

2. Conversion is like a gate to the straight way of godliness. Conversion is the change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit by means of the Word of God, leading to a hearty confidence in the redemption of the Son of God, to the forgiveness of sins and strength to lead the new life determined upon. It is only by means of such a change that a Christian life can begin. The gate of repentance is the entrance to the way of life. 

3. This gate is narrow. Man must enter there alone. You cannot bring your sins with you, O man, you must put them away. Human friendship cannot be retained, for you must bear the reproach of Jesus. You cannot expect worldly enjoyments, for you must take up the cross of your Savior. “Narrow is the gate, and straight the way, that leads unto life.” 

4. The straight way of godliness follows upon the narrow gate of repentance. If you have been converted and (171) have come to the faith and have thus received the forgiveness of sins, then you must more and more lay off the remaining sinful desires for the manifestations of which you have been forgiven. Upon conversion follows sonship, and with this childlike obedience must be associated. 

5. But straight is the way that leads unto life, and few are they who find it. The evil desires cannot be conquered without battle, and few are they who enter upon this warfare, few are they who “run with patience the race that is set before them.” No one can do the will of God without interference, and few are they who pass beyond the first stumbling blocks. Few are rightly converted, and few are they who endure unto the end. “For narrow is the gate, and straight the way, that leads unto life, and few are they who find it.” 

6. The gate of repentance is narrow, but not closed. Let us, therefore, pray that some of you may enter. The way of godliness is straight, but not inaccessible. Let each and every one pray that he may be one of the few who find it. For the sake of Jesus, who has opened this way, let us pray for this very thing in His prayer, wherein the way is marked out. “Our Father” etc. 

Proposition.

The Entrance into the Reign of God

7. 1. The entrance to the way of godliness by means of the narrow gate of repentance. 

8. 2. The entrance into the reign of heaven by means of the straight way of godliness. 

(172) First Part. 

9. The early disciples took it for granted that they should enter the reign of heaven. They merely asked Jesus who would be greatest therein. Jesus, however, declared that they would not enter at all, unless they were first converted and had thus become like little children. 

10. Conversion, then, takes its beginning in such a way that a person who has previously in his state of security taken for granted that he would enter into the reign of heaven, becomes convinced that a true conversion must first take place. 

11. Conversion is an entirely foreign matter to a spiritually unconcerned person, for, though such a person may have heard of it in sermons or read about it in devotional books, he has not taken the matter seriously, nor considered that he himself needs to be converted. Either he does not think that he must experience such a change, or he imagines that it has already taken place, so he is of the opinion that the only thing which he must yet do to enter the reign of heaven is to pass away from this world by death. 

12. Conversion takes its beginning in a person when he becomes convinced by the Word of God that conversion is necessary for salvation, and that he himself is not converted. when a person has been moved by the sweetness of the first workings of grace to use the Word of God diligently, he learns how conversion takes place and what a man’s condition is after he has been converted. In the light of the spiritual knowledge thus acquired under the guidance of the Spirit of God, he realizes that (173) he is as yet not converted, for his condition is not such as the Word of God attributes to those who are rightly converted. “Through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” God’s commands and th e law then reveal to his conscience that he is still harboring sins which it is not possible for a truly converted man to cherish. 

13. Conversion makes progress when a person, by the threats of God’s law, with fear perceives and with pain feels that he is under the wrath and condemnation of God, and when he is thereby impelled to seek salvation for his soul. Even as a person cannot by his own natural reason comprehend that he has offended God and merited eternal condemnation, so neither can he by his own strength fear the wrath of God and grieves over his lost condition. This grief, which is called a grief after God’s mind, is the work of God. The Sprit of God, who has wrought it by the Word, also urges a person more and more into the Word, so that he uses it, not only by reason of its delightful taste, but because it is entirely indispensable as a means unto the salvation of his soul. To use this means of conversion with watchfulness and prayer is, indeed, the only requirement which our Savior has laid in the gospel for those who are to be converted and thereby enter into the reign of heaven. While a person uses the Word to be converted, his conversion is perfected when he rightly believes on Jesus. 

14. The law is a tutor impelling a sinner to seek for salvation. It is a tutor unto Christ. When salvation is offered in Christ the Savior, the soul is therefore found prepared to receive, and is concerned about receiving, the salvation offered in the gospel. God’s gracious (174) promises, offering grace and forgiveness, also enable the awakened soul to appropriate the promises of grace and the assurances of justification and salvation which God has given in the Word for Jesus’ sake. These enable the frightened heart ot trust in the merits of Christ the Savior and to be hopeful of obtaining sonship and pardon. This childlike confidence of a man in God is the first part of what the Savior calls to “become like children.” The Apostle Peter also says: “Set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as children of obedience.” 

15. This faith is the entrance to the straight way of godliness and is at the same time an entrance to the reign of heaven. Faith embraces Christ and is an entering into the reign. So the Scriptures teach everywhere. They promise eternal life through faith in Jesus. the true faith is an entering into the reign, because it is an entering upon the way of godliness and sanctified life. Peter expresses this immediately after the words just quoted. Having admonished unto faith, he also admonishes unto a Christian life: “Not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance, but like as He who called you is holy, be yourselves also holy in all manner of living because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” True faith is the entering upon the way of godliness, for it gives both incentive and power unto a Christian life. When a person has “known and believed the love which God has for us, he abides in love.” Faith manifests itself in love, even as the Apostle John continues: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not (175) grievous. For whatsoever is begotten of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” It is from  Jesus that faith obtains strength to lead a holy life, as the Lord said to Paul: “The Gentiles receive an inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith in Me.” We shall speak more especially about the entering into the reign by way of the straight  way of godliness when we now come to the second part of our discourse. 

Second Part. 

16. If a converted person is to make progress along the way of godliness, he must be humble, “poor in spirit,” or, as the Savior elsewhere expresses it, he must humble himself like a child. As the ambition for honor is one of the chief results of our corruption by sin, it is very important for a Christian to work against an undue love of self. The Spirit of the Lord ha laid a foundation for this in the new birth by then making us poor in spirit. God promotes Christian humility by letting us in temptations and suffering feel our wretchedness and infirmity, and it behooves us to further this purpose of God with watchfulness and prayer, as Peter admonishes: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due season.” 

17. Christian love is the first and chief fruit of faith; it is also an essential and necessary step on the straight way of godliness. Christian love should, says our Savior in the gospel, be shown even to children, who are otherwise generally considered as of less consequence. The Savior describes this love as primarily exercised (176) in His Name, for His sake, because a person is redeemed by Jesus, even though he does not, like the little children, believe on Him, and has not become a child of God -- as the little children have become -- under the care of the holy angels. A converted person should show love to the little children and to other believers, not alone by giving some insignificant alms, but also where this is necessary and possible, by complete care for the helpless neighbor. Jesus speaks in the gospel of receiving the little ones who believe on Him, that is to assume the manifold duties and the hidden care given by a real father. The Apostle Paul also admonishes the Christians to show such love: “As we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them who are of the household of faith.” 

18. If a converted person is to be able to continue on the straight way of godliness, he must with earnest determination separate himself from everything that is detrimental to his progress. This is what the Savior means when He admonishes those who would enter into eternal life to sever from their body such members as tend to hinder their spiritual advancement,members who “cause you to stumble.” Even if it were something as innocent in itself as the pleasures of vision, if you observe that it leads you into temptation, you must make haste to relinquish it. If some privilege is as useful to a person as his hand, he must forsake it, if he finds that it becomes a snare for the soul. Yes, if some of his earthly goods were as indispensable as his foot, he must rather suffer the greatest temporal want than to have everything in abundance and lack the one thing needful, to possess all privileges in time and lose everything in (177) eternity, first to enjoy all the pleasures of life and then to be consumed by the anguish of eternal death, to have two eyes, two hands, two feet, and be cast into eternal fire. The Savior has declared this to be needful for every one who would follow Him on the way to eternal life, saying: “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” 

19. It is by this way of godliness that we enter into the heavenly reign.  Although no one will be saved by life and works, neither will any one be saved without these, that is, without having entered upon the way of a godly life, without doing good works. The Savior Himself assert this, saying: “Not every one who says unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the reign of heaven; but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” It is by faith in Jesus that a converted person may enter into the heavenly reign, if he remains in this faith to the end; but it is by its exercise in godliness that faith endures. Spiritual poverty makes the riches of divine grace all the more indispensable for the faithful soul. Faith finds exercise in Christian love, and the hindrances to growth in faith are removed by Christian self-denials. 

Application. 

20. Learn of this, you who lead a manifestly sinful life, that a godless life is no way to the reign of heaven; it is the broad way that leads to destruction. When you do what others consider sinful and you yourselves know to be sin, then you belong to those whom the Word of God calls ungodly, even though you do not wish to bear that name. Know, then, I tell you again, that you are (178) not walking on the straight way of godliness, but on the broad way that leads to destruction. It does you no good to hope for salvation, for your hope shall perish. It is vain to dream of heaven, for if you continue in this condition, you shall certainly come whither you had not imagined. 

21. Some of you may lead an honorable life, though you are not converted; but you must know that mere honesty is not Christianity. There is no other entrance to the way of godliness than by the narrow gate of repentance. To avoid things punishable among men -- this is not the fear of the Lord; it is merely the fear of men. Be convinced by the Word of God that all human righteousness is manifest ungodliness before God, in order that you, thus convinced, may be driven to Jesus and by Him find an open way to eternal life, for He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” 

22. Some of you are moved by the Word of God. You have come to the narrow gate, but you have not thereby passed through it, for emotions are not conversion. They are, however, wrought by the Spirit of God. Their aim is that you may be brought to use the Word of God. As this means of salvation has already brought you near the reign of God, enabling you to taste its power, so this same Word of God will also bring you to a true conversion. It is not to stop with a mere taste of the sweetness of God’s grace, but you will come to possess it. Not only will the hope of salvation delight your heart, but the assurance of childhood will gladden your soul. 

23. You, who are awakened to anxiety for your soul’s salvation, you are standing in the very gate of conversion. Press earnestly on, so that you may pass through the gate. (179) On the other side you will find the mercy seat of Jesus, where pardon is awaiting you, if you but receive it, and deliverance from your sins, if you but seek it by prayer in Jesus’ Name. Continue to use the Word, and this will bring you to the Savior and place you on the way that leads to eternal life. Then you are protected against eternal death, which you fear. If you should be called from this world after such a change has taken place in you, there can be no danger of your coming to destruction for no man comes to destruction, unless he walks the way that leads thither. You are not on that way if you are earnestly concerned about your salvation; you are on the way to eternal salvation. If you continue along this way, you will assuredly enter into the heavenly reign, whither this way leads. 

24. This continuing must be your chief concernment, if you are assured that you have entered upon the straight way of life, for it appears to you that you have only advanced a few steps on that way. Even this, that you feel as though you were far behind, means progress, if you but press on to advance rightly. Jesus is the way. Hence, the clearer your knowledge of Him becomes in the light of the Word, the farther you have advanced. The more you endeavor to assist and serve your fellow men for Jesus’ sake, the more has your love increased. The more faithfulness you show in forsaking everything that leads from the way of salvation, the more has your spiritual strength grown. In order that you may remain on this way, whither the Lord has brought you, it is very important that you use the Word of God diligently, and that you conscientiously follow its directions. Then will the Lord, in the light of the Word, (180) show you the right way and with its power bring you onward. Holy Communion will give you refreshing nourishment on your spiritual journey, and Jesus Himself will follow you on the way: and so you are to enter into eternal life by means of the straight way of godliness, even as you have entered upon His way by means of the narrow gate of repentance.  Amen.