LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:04	hello
0:05	let’s talk about Salt and Light
0:10	in The Sermon on the Mount
0:13	Jesus makes a declaration he says
0:17	you are the salt of the earth
0:19	you are the light of the world
0:23	he says that as a straightforward
0:25	statement of fact
0:27	this is your spiritual identity you are
0:31	the salt of the earth you are the light
0:34	of the world
0:35	now your response may be well I don’t
0:38	feel like I’m the salt of the earth and
0:40	I don’t look like I’m the light of the
0:41	world what are you talking about
0:43	but this is based upon what Jesus has
0:46	just said before that in the Beatitudes
0:49	the Beatitudes are nine statements of
0:51	blessing and Jesus is telling how God
0:54	has blessed you without you having
0:56	merited it or earned it God has blessed
0:59	you for example he says blessed are you
1:01	who are poor in your spirit are you poor
1:04	in spirit are you Unholy and unhealthy
1:07	are you beggarly as you stand before the
1:10	Judgment seat of God
1:12	yes of course
1:14	we’re not foolish enough to be arrogant
1:16	in that place we have nothing with which
1:18	to commend ourselves we are beggars
1:21	and through us who are sinful and poor
1:24	in spirit Jesus says
1:26	you are blessed the Kingdom of Heaven
1:28	belongs to you
1:31	and are you hungry starving to be
1:34	righteous before God all the time
1:36	recognizing that you still think and
1:39	speak and act like
1:41	a sinner a selfish one
1:44	yes
1:46	of course we recognize that to
1:49	to us
1:51	who are
1:52	hungering for righteousness Jesus says
1:55	you are blessed
1:57	what you desire
1:58	but you hunger to be
2:01	God will satisfy
2:03	so as a result of these blessings
2:06	that God has given to you Jesus now says
2:09	there is um
2:12	there’s a consequence
2:13	there’s an outcome
2:15	and that is
2:17	your spiritual identity you are the salt
2:20	of the earth you are the light of the
2:22	world
2:24	and as you begin to think about that
2:26	mull it over
2:28	I want to read to you a verse from the
2:30	book of the prophet Isaiah chapter 45
2:33	verse 15 and Isaiah writes this
2:37	truly thou art a God who hides himself
2:42	o God of Israel savior
Why God Hides	0.115277778
now this is a God who hides himself but	0.117361111
why does he do that	0.118055556
because if we were to see God unmasked	0.121527778
unveiled if we were to see him in his	0.122916667
fullness he would kill us he’s just too	0.125
glorious he’s just too holy	0.127083333
holy is a word that not only means	0.129166667
absolute Purity it also means distance	0.13125
or separation	0.133333333
God is Holy he is completely other he is	0.136805556
other than we are he thinks differently	0.138194444
he acts differently he is different	0.140277778
from us	0.142361111
but he still wants to communicate	0.14375
himself to us he wants us to know who he	0.145833333
is and so in order to do that because he	0.147916667
can’t	0.148611111
demonstrate himself or unveil himself	0.150694444
before our eyes he	0.152777778
he comes to us in the opposites	0.15625
he communicates himself himself in what	0.158333333
Luther calls the paradoxes	0.160416667
for example	0.161805556
God who is eternal he is above all time	0.164583333
communicates shares himself shares his	0.167361111
attributes	0.16875
with an infant born	0.170833333
in Bethlehem laying in a cow feeder	0.173611111
that’s just crazy isn’t it Eternal God	0.175
becomes	0.176388889
an infant born in time or God who is	0.179166667
all-powerful for whom nothing is	0.180555556
impossible	0.181944444
hides himself	0.184722222
in a humiliated bloody	0.1875
crucified Criminal on a cross	0.190972222
God hides himself in places we would	0.192361111
never expect	0.194444444
he he acts he works in the paradoxes for	0.197222222
example God	0.197916667
kills death	0.2
by using death	0.201388889
and by becoming dead	0.203472222
God destroys sin	0.204861111
by using sin	0.206944444
and becoming sin	How God Communicates
5:03	So today we’re going to talk about the
5:05	God who hides himself especially who
5:07	hides himself in the Opposites the
5:09	paradoxes
5:11	and the theological term for God sharing
5:15	his attributes is he communicates his
5:18	attributes or as Luther calls it
5:21	communication idiomatom God communicates
5:24	his attributes first and most clearly
5:28	by the overshadowing power of the Holy
5:30	Spirit
5:32	over the Virgin Mary
5:34	who gives birth to the God man
5:39	the man who is fully God the fullness of
5:42	the godhead dwells in him we read in
5:45	Colossians chapter 2 this Jesus
5:48	both human and divine
5:51	reconciles the world to God
5:54	and is the atoning sacrifice to save us
5:57	all
5:58	from our sin
6:00	and we are saved by grace through faith
6:04	in Jesus Christ God communicates
6:07	himself shares himself
6:10	with flesh and becomes for a savior
6:14	another way that God communicates his
6:16	attributes
6:18	is when the word of God speaks
6:22	regarding the elements of bread and wine
6:26	and when they become for us the promise
6:28	of the word of God
6:30	the true body and blood of Jesus Christ
6:32	for the Forgiveness of our sin
6:38	for the gift of
6:39	salvation and eternal life because as
6:41	you remember from the catechism the one
6:43	who has forgiveness of sin has salvation
6:45	and eternal life God communicates
6:48	himself by hiding himself
6:51	Bread and Wine the true body and blood
6:53	of Christ
6:56	but the the most mind-twisting of
7:00	of the examples of how God communicates
7:02	himself communicates his attributes
7:05	is that God communicates himself to you
7:12	God shares himself with you
7:16	the word of God comes to you
7:19	God himself comes and creates faith in
7:22	you faith comes by hearing hearing by
7:24	the word of Christ God creates faith in
7:27	you
7:29	and God baptizes you having
7:32	taken water and joined his word to it
7:37	he places you into it
7:39	and you are killed in a death like
7:43	Christ you are raised to a new life in
7:46	Jesus Christ you are christed for God
7:50	has Now hidden himself in you
7:53	he’s communicated his attributes to you
7:57	now you despise sin though you continue
8:01	periodically to do that which is
8:03	abhorrent to you
8:05	which you don’t want to you want
8:08	to live out the faith that God has
8:09	placed in your heart because Faith Acts
8:13	because God has hidden himself in you
8:17	oh sure
8:18	you can reject him
8:21	you can say I want nothing to do with
8:23	you
8:25	Jesus Christ I don’t want your love you
8:27	can say that don’t want your mercy don’t
8:29	want your grace don’t want your gifts
8:31	don’t want you hiding in me
8:33	but if you don’t say that beloved
8:36	then what he has said has already
8:38	happened
8:42	and he has spoken the truth you are
8:45	the salt of the earth you are the light
8:48	of the world because the word of God
8:50	Jesus Christ has said it and what he
8:52	says happens it’s true
8:55	God has hidden himself in you
8:59	and so wherever you go
9:01	you can be salt
9:04	salt
9:05	purifies and salt preserves
9:10	and God will use you to purify
9:13	and to preserve and wherever you go
9:17	you are the light of the world God will
9:19	use you to scatter Darkness
9:22	and falsehood and Evil
9:25	God will use you to be light
9:29	of the world
9:34	now I’m not saying that you’ll do these
9:35	things perfectly
9:38	but you will do them purposefully you
9:40	will try to do these things
9:43	because God has already hidden himself
9:45	in you
9:47	and that’s the point
9:49	that I think
9:50	the scripture is making today
9:53	you Salt and Light
9:57	the Lord Jesus
10:00	lives within you
10:03	he has already hidden himself
10:06	in you
10:09	amen