LutheranLectionary.org

1 Year Lectionary – Second Sunday After Trinity – Sunday, June 26, 2022 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	when one of those who reclined at table
0:32	with jesus heard these things he said to
0:34	him
0:35	blessed is everyone who will eat bread
0:36	in the kingdom of god but he said to him
0:39	a man once gave a great banquet and
0:41	invited many and at the time for the
0:43	banquet he sent for his servant to say
0:45	to those who have been invited come for
0:47	everything is now ready but they all
0:50	alike began to make excuses the first
0:52	said to him i have bought a field and i
0:54	must go out and see it
0:57	um and
0:59	please have me excused and another one
1:01	said i have bought five yoke of oxen and
1:03	i go to examine them please have me
1:05	excused another said i have married a
1:07	wife and therefore i cannot come
1:10	so the servant came and reported these
1:12	things to his master then the master of
1:14	the house began became angry and said to
1:16	his servant go out quickly into the
1:18	street and the lanes of the city and
1:20	bring in the poor and the crippled and
1:21	the blind and the lame and the servant
1:24	said sir what you have commanded has
1:25	been done and still there is room and
1:28	the master said to the servant go out
1:29	into the highways and the hedges and
1:31	compel people to come in that my house
1:33	may be filled for i tell you that none
1:35	of those men who were invited shall
1:37	taste my banquet this is the gospel of
1:41	the lord
1:42	in the name of jesus
1:44	amen
1:46	so what are we to make of this gospel
1:48	text a bunch of guys on the a list
1:50	invited to a great feast a great banquet
1:54	and then well turning it down you know
1:56	for all kinds of reasons
1:58	think of it this way when we look back
2:01	in the book of genesis chapter 25 small
2:04	little account but it is actually
2:06	helpful here
2:07	when once jacob was cooking stew esau
2:10	remember jacob and esau the twins
2:13	came he esau came in from the field and
2:15	he was exhausted and esau said to jacob
2:18	let me eat some of that red stew for i
2:20	am exhausted
2:22	therefore his name was called edom jacob
2:25	said well sell me your birthright now
2:28	and esau said oh i’m about to die of
2:30	what use is a birthright to me so jacob
2:32	said swear to me now so he swore to him
2:35	and sold his birthright to jacob then
2:37	jacob gave esau bread and lentil stew
2:40	and he ate and drank and rose and went
2:42	his way thus esau
2:44	despised his birthright what a foolish
2:47	thing to do a birthright in the ancient
2:49	world was not a small thing it was a big
2:52	thing and along with it it’s not just
2:55	the inheritance also comes
2:57	the guy who would be the spiritual head
2:59	of the family kind of the kingdom and
3:01	all those types of things and what what
3:03	did esau do he despised his birthright
3:07	why well over a
3:10	bowl of lentil stew
3:12	what utter
3:14	foolishness that is exactly that’s the
3:17	point and so you’ll note that these men
3:20	in our gospel text they’re really not
3:23	interested in eternal life
3:25	they’re interested in the here in the
3:28	now and it’s important to note that
3:30	jesus here is speaking in a context and
3:33	so we need to recognize something that’s
3:36	going on here but let me let me kind of
3:38	throw in another text to kind of fill in
3:41	our theme matthew chapter 16 jesus
3:45	speaks to his disciples he says if
3:46	anyone would come after me
3:49	let him deny himself take up his cross
3:53	follow me
3:54	you’ll know that the world we live in
3:56	denying yourself is like the mortal sin
3:59	you can’t do that you you need to affirm
4:01	yourself you need to be you and do you
4:05	and
4:06	all that kind of stuff and deny yourself
4:09	no we don’t deny ourselves anything it’s
4:11	all about the pursuit of
4:12	things and power and influence and
4:15	affluence right and jesus says whoever
4:17	would save his life
4:19	will lose it whoever loses his life for
4:21	my sake will find it for what will a
4:24	prophet a man
4:26	if he gains the whole world
4:28	and forfeits his soul
4:31	or what shall a man give
4:33	in return
4:35	for his soul
4:37	yeah that’s kind of the thing here
4:40	have you noticed i mentioned it last
4:42	week and i’ll continue to mention it
4:44	life is a fleeting thing it goes like
4:47	that it goes by like that i you blink
4:50	and the whole thing’s gone
4:52	and then you’re dead
4:54	you came into the world
4:56	you brought nothing with you when you
4:57	came in you you arrived in the world
4:59	naked needing to be clothed you take
5:02	nothing with you when you leave the
5:04	world so why the focus on the temporal
5:07	it’s a form of idolatry seeking good
5:10	from the good gifts that god gives us as
5:12	we sojourn through this
5:14	valley of the shadow of death and in
5:16	really seeking them and seeking comfort
5:19	from them rather than the one who is the
5:20	giver of those gifts right
5:23	and so
5:24	in our gospel text there’s a context i
5:26	mentioned that already and i’m going to
5:29	back up just a little bit in our context
5:30	so we can get the gist of what christ is
5:33	teaching because i think it’s important
5:35	so it says in luke chapter 14 starting
5:38	at verse 12. i’m just backing up a few
5:40	verses jesus said to the man who had
5:42	invited him so
5:43	pharisee had invited him to dinner
5:46	when you give a dinner
5:48	or a banquet
5:49	don’t invite your friends don’t invite
5:52	your brothers or your relatives or rich
5:55	neighbors lest they also invite you in
5:57	return and then you’ll be repaid but
5:59	when you give a feast
6:01	ready
6:03	invite the poor
6:05	now
6:06	by preaching this christ has
6:09	taken their theology and turning it on
6:12	its head because in the pharisees way of
6:14	thinking
6:15	wealth
6:16	is the sign of god’s blessing the
6:18	pharisees are no different than the
6:20	prosperity preachers of today
6:22	right so jesus is saying don’t don’t
6:24	hobnob with the wealthy don’t hobnob
6:27	with the powerful or those who can repay
6:30	you back instead
6:32	invite the poor yeah you know the guy on
6:35	the street begging
6:37	uh-huh
6:38	for real who’s poor and down and out
6:40	invite the crippled
6:42	the lame
6:44	the blind
6:45	you know those people your false
6:47	theology say are cursed of god
6:51	and then you will be blessed because
6:52	they cannot repay you
6:54	ah that’s how the gospel works isn’t it
6:56	right could you repay god can you repay
6:58	christ for the good things that he’s
7:00	given you of course not right for you
7:02	will be repaid at the resurrection of
7:04	the just the proverbs make it clear that
7:06	when you lend
7:08	to the poor
7:10	and they cannot repay you don’t worry
7:12	god will repay
7:14	jesus also affirms this in the in the
7:16	old testament the proverbs so that being
7:18	the case this one of these pharisees
7:20	speaks up he’s one of those who reclined
7:22	at the table with jesus heard him say
7:24	these things he said well blessed is
7:26	everyone who will eat bread in the
7:28	kingdom of god
7:30	okay
7:31	but jesus said to him all right
7:33	listen a man once gave a great banquet
7:36	and invited many
7:38	and at the time of the for the banquet
7:40	he sent his servant to say to those who
7:42	had been invited come everything’s now
7:45	ready
7:46	but they all alike began to make excuses
7:49	the first said to him oh
7:51	i i’ve bought i bought a field
7:54	i’m sorry
7:55	can’t come to your bank i’ve bought a
7:57	field and i must go and i must see it
8:00	and uh please have me excused yeah sorry
8:04	maybe next time right and another said
8:06	well i i’ve bought five yoke of oxen i
8:09	i’ve got to go and examine them we all
8:12	know how much trouble those yoke of oxen
8:14	can be right
8:15	and
8:16	please have me excused and another one
8:19	said well i’ve married a wife
8:22	and you know we’re still in the
8:24	honeymoon phase you know what i mean
8:26	right and so therefore i can’t come
8:34	you gain the whole world
8:35	and yet forfeit your soul you’ll note
8:37	that the banquet that’s being referred
8:39	to here the great wedding feast of the
8:41	lamb
8:42	christ is the one who’s prepared the
8:44	table right
8:46	and and so
8:47	what’s christ to do the a-listers
8:50	the jews of his time
8:52	the people who have received the
8:54	fulfillment of the prophecies of the
8:56	messiah christ is calling them to do
8:59	what
9:00	repent
9:02	we can see it in that greater context
9:04	when he says to them don’t invite the
9:06	rich and the powerful and those who can
9:08	repay you invite the poor the crippled
9:10	the lame
9:11	right repent
9:13	repent your theology is off your
9:15	works-based religion can’t save you and
9:19	no wealth is not the indicator of god’s
9:23	blessings
9:24	why are you so enamored by the
9:27	entrapments
9:29	of this life
9:31	and the accoutrements of what this life
9:34	can offer
9:35	right
9:36	instead deny yourself take up your cross
9:40	follow jesus what is it
9:42	what good is it if a man gains the whole
9:45	world
9:46	he gonna die you’re gonna die we’re all
9:49	under the same sentence of death because
9:53	of our sin and rebellion against god
9:55	your sin your rebellion against god the
9:57	wages of sin is death
9:59	i’m dying you’re dying no guarantee
10:02	you’ll even be here next week or that
10:04	i’ll be here next week right
10:07	so that being the case
10:08	you’ll know these fellows are being
10:11	foolish
10:12	like esau
10:14	exchanging his birthright
10:16	for a bowl of lentil
10:19	soup i don’t even like lentils they’re
10:22	not that great you know i’m just saying
10:24	kind of remind me of like mini lima
10:26	beans
10:27	all right but all that being said
10:30	what are you thinking that’s the point
10:34	and so the servant then came and
10:36	reported these things to his master
10:40	what am i gonna do
10:42	right so
10:43	the master of the house became angry and
10:46	said it said you go out quickly into the
10:48	streets and the lanes of the city
10:50	bring in the poor
10:52	the crippled the blind
10:54	the lame no christ in the earlier
10:57	context says that in do you when you
11:00	give a feast invite the poor the
11:01	crippled delay in the blind if you want
11:03	to know where you where you are in this
11:04	parable
11:06	that’s you
11:07	that’s me and if you do not see yourself
11:10	as poor crippled lame blind
11:14	man
11:16	i i don’t know what to do to help you
11:18	here but that’s exactly our condition as
11:21	sinners and so you know christ practices
11:24	what he preaches he only invites now to
11:27	the wedding feast those who are crippled
11:30	poor lame blind
11:32	in the book of revelation uh in jesus’s
11:35	letter to the church at laodicea
11:38	talk about a messed up church laodicea
11:40	by the way was a good zip code back in
11:42	the day oh yeah in fact
11:44	they were they were making money hand
11:47	over fist in the in the in the city of
11:50	laodicea they were known
11:52	for
11:53	selling
11:54	a particular eye ointment a salve to
11:57	help people with
11:59	eye
12:00	infections and things like this and
12:01	they’d made themselves rich oh they were
12:04	at ease and as a result of that the
12:06	church of laodicea thought that they
12:07	were the bee’s knees
12:10	but they weren’t in fact here’s what
12:12	christ has john write to the church of
12:15	laodicea to the angel the pastor the
12:18	messenger of the church of lady see
12:19	write these right the words of the amen
12:22	the faithful and true witness the
12:24	beginning of god’s creation
12:26	i know your works
12:28	you’re neither hot nor cold
12:31	oh widgets you were either cold or hot
12:34	so because you are lukewarm
12:36	and neither hot nor cold i’m going to
12:38	spit you out of my mouth
12:41	right for you say i’m rich
12:44	i’ve prospered
12:45	i i need nothing
12:48	not realizing that you are
12:50	wretched pitiable
12:53	poor
12:54	blind
12:56	naked
13:00	that’s you
13:02	that’s me
13:03	this is our state before god because of
13:06	our sin
13:07	and you’ll note the mercy of christ
13:10	he rebukes the pharisees
13:13	quite nicely for not inviting the poor
13:16	and the lame and the blind and those who
13:18	cannot repay them but that’s exactly who
13:21	jesus invites to the great banquet that
13:23	has prepared the banquet of salvation
13:27	and so
13:28	you need to see the truth about yourself
13:31	you are not
13:33	wealthy
13:34	don’t even think about it right you are
13:36	not
13:37	you are not somebody who is beyond need
13:41	you are in great need because of your
13:44	sin in your rebellion against god and
13:46	your love for the earthly creature
13:49	comforts of this world that are oh that
13:51	make it so that you have no time to hear
13:54	the word of god oh remember that third
13:57	commandment remember the sabbath day by
13:59	keeping it holy
14:01	yeah yeah think think just think for a
14:04	second here uh when in the small
14:06	catechism luther asked the question
14:07	vastas what does this mean oh we should
14:10	fear and love god so we do not despise
14:13	preaching in his word but gladly hear
14:15	and learn it but you don’t understand
14:17	pastor
14:18	it’s summer
14:20	here in minnesota uh we’ve got to get to
14:23	the lake we’ve we have no time for
14:25	church i’ve got to go fishing oh i’ve
14:27	got my farm to tend to i’ve i ah my wife
14:31	and i uh i i’ve got to keep the woman
14:34	happy and then she wants to do this that
14:36	or the other thing
14:38	uh-huh
14:39	i know
14:40	i know
14:42	you say i’m rich jesus says
14:45	i’ve prospered i don’t need anything not
14:47	realizing that you’re wretched pitiable
14:49	poor blind
14:51	and naked
14:53	so i counsel you
14:55	to buy from me gold refined by fire so
14:57	that you may be rich white garments so
14:59	that you may clothe yourself
15:01	and in the shame of your nakedness
15:04	and that that man
15:06	your nakedness may not be seen and saved
15:08	to anoint your eyes so that you may see
15:11	those whom i love i reprove and i
15:14	discipline them so be zealous jesus says
15:18	and repent
15:20	repent
15:22	stop being distracted by the bright
15:24	shiny things of this earth and the
15:26	blessings that god gives you as if
15:29	somehow
15:31	that’s the point
15:33	the point is christ the point is our
15:35	repentance the point is our trust in him
15:39	you’re passing through this world you
15:40	take none of it with you stop being
15:43	enamored by all of that
15:45	in fact a good way to put it is that
15:47	christ is the one who has prepared the
15:50	grand
15:51	feast in his sermon on this text johann
15:54	gerhard says christ is the one who
15:57	brought forth the gospel teaching from
15:59	his hidden store of divine wisdom and
16:03	he’s readied his table for the souls who
16:05	will be fed there the man who finds his
16:09	way to this food
16:11	the food the christ prepares will
16:13	discover that in the hereafter god has
16:15	prepared a sumptuous meal a meal of fat
16:18	and marrow of pure wine in which there
16:21	are no dregs
16:22	god has granted to that one eternal life
16:26	there he or she will sit in heaven with
16:28	abraham with isaac with jacob quite the
16:32	banquet quite the guest list if you
16:34	think about it and they will be eating
16:36	and drinking at christ’s table he will
16:39	be sated by seeing the divine
16:41	countenance oh
16:43	you’ll be hungering no more to see
16:46	christ because you will see him face to
16:48	face
16:49	and you will be refreshed as if by an
16:51	eternal fountain the lord god has
16:53	invited many in fact the whole world to
16:56	this banquet he desires all men to be
16:59	consoled and to come to the knowledge of
17:01	the truth it’s not his will that any
17:04	should perish he sends out his word out
17:07	into the world he wishes for all ends of
17:09	the earth to turn to him
17:12	and this is why he sends his servants
17:14	out
17:15	at banquet time and has has them
17:17	announced to the guest come
17:20	everything
17:21	is ready christ has made everything
17:24	ready for us jesus intended this
17:27	primarily for the jewish people not only
17:29	had they been invited to god’s kingdom
17:31	through the various prophecies about the
17:33	messiah but god had also sent them john
17:36	the baptist the preacher of
17:38	righteousness he sent them the holy
17:39	apostles yes even christ himself god’s
17:43	righteous servant
17:44	and all of them admonished the jews to
17:48	repent and to believe the gospel for
17:50	god’s kingdom was at hand
17:54	indeed it was
17:55	but they didn’t repent
17:57	instead they crucified christ
18:00	and they chose
18:03	the fleeting
18:05	pleasures and distractions and creature
18:08	comforts of this world
18:10	rather than repent and receive the gift
18:13	of eternal life again our gospel text
18:17	makes it clear that christ is the one
18:18	who has prepared everything you bring
18:20	nothing to the table you come
18:23	naked poor pitiable blind and jesus is
18:26	the one who gives you sight clothes you
18:28	with his righteousness
18:30	that perfect sinless righteousness that
18:32	he lived for you
18:35	he took your sin upon himself on the
18:37	cross
18:38	he was clothed in your nakedness clothed
18:42	in your shame
18:43	clothes in your judgment
18:46	so that you can be clothed in his
18:48	righteousness and may have the
18:50	appropriate clothes for this great
18:53	banquet all as a gift it’s been prepared
18:56	for you come repent abandon the things
18:59	of this world trust in christ for the
19:02	forgiveness of your sins turn away from
19:05	your sin
19:07	he’ll forgive you
19:08	clothe you and
19:10	satisfy
19:11	your heart and your soul with the good
19:14	things of the kingdom of god to come in
19:16	a world without end where there is no
19:19	sin nothing here you can keep nothing
19:22	here you can take with you but there all
19:24	is given as a gift in a world without
19:27	end and the gifts that he gives cannot
19:30	be taken from you they cannot be stolen
19:32	they will never collect dust or rust or
19:35	disappear they last forever and you last
19:38	forever in a world without end abandon
19:42	and forsake the temporal
19:44	embrace christ
19:46	the king of kings and lord of lords
19:48	whose god of god and light of light the
19:50	one who is eternal in a world without
19:53	end
19:54	repent
19:56	of your idolatry of trusting in things
19:59	rather than the one who calls you to be
20:01	forgiven and promises you eternal life
20:04	all is a gift because he’s prepared it
20:06	for you
20:07	and so you’ll note
20:09	the jews of jesus day they rejected
20:12	christ many of them in mass rejected him
20:15	sadly choosing
20:17	oh power and fame and wealth and
20:19	nonsense
20:20	they have nothing now
20:23	except for shame and lament for being so
20:27	foolish
20:29	yeah the fear of the lord is the
20:31	beginning of wisdom
20:32	and they feared not the lord
20:34	they trusted in themselves
20:37	and so you’ll note in our epistle text
20:40	great theme by the way
20:42	it says in ephesians 2. i’ll just back
20:44	up a little bit in the context so that
20:46	you can see it therefore remember that
20:48	at one time you gentiles that’s all of
20:49	us who are not jewish by
20:51	by heritage by genetics at one time you
20:54	gentiles in the flesh you were called
20:56	the uncircumcision by what is called the
20:58	circumcision which is made in the flesh
21:00	by hands remember that you were at one
21:02	time separated from christ indeed we
21:04	were
21:05	naked poor pitiable blind right
21:08	we were alienated from the commonwealth
21:10	of israel we were strangers to the
21:12	covenants of promise
21:14	having no hope and we were without god
21:17	in the world
21:18	ah the gospel has gone out and those who
21:21	met with messengers from christ ascend
21:23	when the message reaches us we are dead
21:25	in trespasses and sins blind and uh a
21:29	mess crippled
21:30	enab unable to even to respond right
21:33	but now in christ jesus you who were
21:35	once far off
21:37	now you have been brought near by the
21:39	blood of christ christ’s invitation goes
21:42	out now it comes to us here where we are
21:45	the blood of christ is the one is the
21:47	thing that draws us near to god forgives
21:50	us of our sins reconciles us he himself
21:54	jesus is our peace he is the one who has
21:57	made us both one jew and gentile he is
22:00	the one who’s broken down in his flesh
22:03	the dividing wall of hostility he did
22:06	this by abolishing the law of
22:08	commandments expressed in ordinances so
22:10	that he might create himself one new man
22:14	uh one new man in place of the two so
22:16	making peace
22:18	and so that he might reconcile us to god
22:21	right in one body through the cross
22:24	thereby killing the hostility ah christ
22:27	has reconciled us to the father he’s the
22:29	one who’s made everything ready he came
22:32	and he preached peace to you who were
22:33	far off peace to those who were near and
22:36	through him we now have both access in
22:39	one spirit to the father so then we’re
22:42	no longer
22:43	strangers
22:44	and aliens we’re no longer the crippled
22:47	the poor the blind the lame
22:50	no
22:50	we’ve been healed by christ clothed with
22:53	his righteousness all as a gift and we
22:55	are now fellow citizens with all the
22:57	saints and we
22:59	together with the saints of old the
23:01	saints who have gone before us old and
23:04	new testament we are all members of the
23:07	household of god
23:08	we are now built on the foundation of
23:10	the apostles and the prophets and christ
23:12	jesus himself is the cornerstone in whom
23:15	the whole structure is being joined
23:16	together and grows into a holy temple in
23:18	the lord in him you are also being built
23:21	together into a dwelling place for god
23:24	by the spirit
23:25	all of these things ah the feast has
23:27	been prepared
23:29	don’t choose your ox
23:31	or your wife or your husband or your
23:34	things or your field
23:36	or your car
23:38	or your clothes or your watch
23:41	what good is it
23:43	if you gain the whole world
23:45	and forfeit your soul
23:47	repent
23:49	the banquet has been made ready
23:51	see yourself for what you are
23:54	repent
23:56	he will draw you to his kingdom he will
23:58	feed you he will clothe you with his
24:00	righteousness as a gift and therefore
24:03	salvation is only for those
24:05	who recognize their true sinfulness and
24:07	their need to be reconciled because
24:10	christ has reconciled us to god for us
24:13	in him in his body we now have this
24:16	these great promises
24:18	leave it all behind
24:20	you can’t take any of it with you
24:22	look forward
24:24	forward to the promises of the
24:25	fulfillment of christ when you will see
24:28	him face to face in your heart will be
24:30	made glad
24:31	and that day we will feast together in a
24:34	world without end
24:36	in the name of Jesus amen

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