{"id":8071,"date":"2022-06-13T09:57:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T16:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=8071"},"modified":"2022-06-13T09:57:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T16:57:13","slug":"pentecost-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=8071","title":{"rendered":"
Pentecost 2<\/div>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Click here for a pdf version.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Christ is Lord<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Cor 4:1-6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eighty-eight years ago, May 29-31, 1934, a group of Protestant leaders met in Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany. They thought something had to be done over against Hitler. Hitler had taken power in Germany in January 1933. All the legal rights and power of the church were made subject to the State. What was to be done about this? People began to worry. There were 138 in that group gathered in Barmen, Germany, to do something. They talked and talked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half-way through the second day, when everyone there did what Germans did in those days, that is, take a nap between 1:00 and 3:00, while everyone was napping, Karl Barth drank a strong cup of coffee and wrote what is called the Barmen Declaration. It is only a couple of pages long. Six main points. Scripture, what we hold, and what we reject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, with some very small changes, other people, like Bonhoeffer and Gollwitzer, signed it. What\u2019s significant is the fourth point, which says: \u201cWe have no other F\u00fchrer. Remember Hitler was called the F\u00fchrer. They said the only F\u00fchrer we have is Jesus Christ. That was to stick a thumb in Hitler\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a public statement that they were standing up against the State, that the Church is not run by the State, and as it says in Point #2: \u201cThere is no other Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s interesting is what then happened. Here is this small group out of seven and a half thousand Protestant preachers in Germany, a little group of 500, and their leaders were the 138 who met at Barmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the pressures grew a couple of years later, the group split. Some of them worried about their pensions. Some were called to positions in the church and decided to play ball with the State Church. What remained was only this little group called the Confessing Church. At the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Barmen Confession in 1984, some looked back at this great event of the Confessing Church. Why was this all forgotten? There is a tiny Baptist paper in Atlanta that carried a notice about it. There was a committee in Geneva, Switzerland, that mentioned it. This really important event, the Barmen Declaration, is even included in the Book of the Reformed Confessions. But otherwise it is forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ask: Why? Why is this event which is so magnificent and important, forgotten? Why is it that nobody bothers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened in the Barmen Declaration is similar to what happened to the Apostle Paul. Today the text is 2 Cor 4:1-6. The whole book of 2 Corinthians is Paul defending himself. Corinth was a mess, the cesspool of the Mediterranean World. And this little congregation in Corinth was itself a mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul was under attack. As Paul himself said: \u201cWell, I\u2019m not very great of stature.\u201d So he must have been short. There\u2019s some indication that he stuttered. He may have had epilepsy or bad eyesight. He was not a good speaker. Furthermore, he didn\u2019t seem to carry much authority among the leaders of the church. They doubted whether he was really<\/strong> an apostle. After all, he wasn\u2019t one of the Twelve. Although he\u2019s called an apostle. In Acts 14:4 Barnabas and Paul are called apostles. In 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 Paul writes a list of witnesses to the resurrection, and at the end he adds: \u201cLast of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me\u201d (1 Cor 15:8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the leaders made fun of him. He called them the super-apostles. They didn\u2019t think he really counted. And you recall they divided the work between those who went to the Jews and those who went to the Gentiles. That agreement is spelled out in Galatians 2 and Acts 15, but people fudged. After all, there were places where there were both Jews and Gentiles. For example, in Gal 2:4 the Judaizers sneaked in and tried to undermine Paul\u2019s work. They said about Paul: \u201cYou don\u2019t do mighty works. You don\u2019t carry the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did Paul do as he faced this? He defends himself in an unusual way in 2 Cor 11:17-18: \u201cMany boast of worldly things, so I will boast, too.\u201d He writes that he\u2019s going to boast in an ironic way, as a fool or madman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He writes: “Whatever anyone dares to boast of . . . I also dare to boast of that\u201d (2 Cor 11: 21b). He goes on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course if you are going to boast about being Hebrew, I\u2019m Hebrew. About being an Israelite, I\u2019m an Israelite. Being a descendent of Abraham, so am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one\u2014I am talking like a madman\u2014with far greater labors, far more imprisonments with countless beatings. Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I have been beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked. A day and night I have been adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches. . . . \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He could have boasted about having a vision on the road to Damascus. That would have been impressive. But no, as he writes in 2 Cor 11:30: \u201cIf I must boast, I\u2019m will boast of my weaknesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the letters of Paul were collected and kept in our collection of books, what we know from church history is that for the first three hundred years, until the time of Augustine, Paul was basically ignored. He was there, but John or Matthew or Hebrews was what was considered important. It\u2019s one of the curious parts of early church history. Paul didn\u2019t cut the mustard. Just like the Barmen Declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People start forgetting about Barmen. What was it that they said in the Barmen Declaration: There is one Lord Jesus. Only one F\u00fchrer. That was directly against the Nazis, just like Paul. In 2 Cor 4:5: \u201cFor what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord.\u201d Jesus Christ is Lord. That\u2019s the basic Christian confession. We find it in 1 Cor 12:3, Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:11, and indirectly other places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus is Lord! How is that important? It\u2019s not seen because Paul was a great success or that Paul didn\u2019t have troubles. The magnificent thing about this book of defense, 2 Corinthians, is how it describes what the Gospel is about. It\u2019s about his failure and his defeat. In 2 Cor 1:4: \u201cJesus Christ comforts us in all our afflictions so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the comfort? The comfort is that he could waive his authority and could say as he does in 2 Cor 12:12: \u201cI can do more and bigger miracles than they do.\u201d But he doesn\u2019t claim that. He could also claim that vision, but he says, I\u2019m not claiming that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Cor 1:8-10 is a short passage that is one of the most remarkable statements of what this Gospel is about. Paul writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor we do not want you to be ignorant of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on our own selves but on God who raises the dead; he delivered us from so deadly a peril, and he will deliver us; on him we have set our hope he will deliver us again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t know the circumstances Paul was in. There\u2019s no place in Acts or Paul that tells us. We know only his description of what it was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were so unbearably, utterly crushed, we despaired of life itself. Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on our own selves but on God who raises the dead; he delivered us and he will deliver us. On him we set our hope that he will deliver us again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of this little book of 2 Corinthians, Paul says he has \u201ca thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to harass me\u201d (2 Cor. 12:7). We don\u2019t know what the thorn was. It may have been epilepsy or whatever. And he prayed that the Lord would take it away. He says: \u201cThree times I prayed that the Lord would take it away.\u201d And the answer comes in 12:9-10:  \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d Paul responds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong\u201d (2 Cor 12:9b-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s something entirely different than raising one\u2019s fist or playing power games. Rather: \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is that referring to? We again know from this same book in the first chapter, 1:20: \u201cAll the promises of God find their yes in him.\u201d That is parallel to Psalm 81:10: \u201cI am the Lord your God open your mouth wide and I will fill it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does that work? 2 Cor 4:3: \u201dEven if our gospel is veiled it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the likeness of God.\u201d Then comes our passage 2 Cor 4:5: \u201cFor what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord.\u201d And then comes 2 Cor 4:6:  \u201cFor it was the God who said: \u2018Let light shine out of darkness,\u2019 who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul is suspicious about the light. In the same book, 2 Cor 11:14 is a passage Luther quoted often: \u201cRemember, the Devil disguises himself as an angel of light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the light? That\u2019s why what this verse ahead of verse 2 Cor 4:4 is so important. It\u2019s the light of the Gospel, which means that Jesus Christ died and rose for you and me. It includes the light of what God has done in weakness. And then his restoration in the resurrection. Jesus is Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recall that great chorus in Handel\u2019s Messiah: \u201cLord of lords and King of kings!\u201d You may have thought Handel invented that, but he was simply picking up those things which are found frequently, not only in this confession: \u201cJesus is Lord,\u201d but in 1 Timothy 6:15: \u201cThe only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,\u201d and Revelation 17:14: \u201c[the Lamb] is the Lord of lords and King of kings.\u201d This is found frequently in the Old Testament, too, as we find in Deuteronomy 10:17: \u201cThe Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ask ourselves not: Where is success over against failure? Look at the Barmen Confession. Look at Paul\u2019s failures, at least for the first few centuries. \u201cGod works in his mysterious ways . . . .\u201d

We remember the basic confession: \u201cJesus Christ is Lord.\u201d That means he is the God of gods, the Lord of lords. And everything is done with the light of the glory of God in Him. Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Jesus Christ is Lord<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2 Cor 4:1-6<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Eighty-eight years ago, May 29-31, 1934, a group of Protestant leaders met in Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany. They thought something had to be done over against Hitler. Hitler had taken power in Germany in January 1933. All the legal rights and power of the church were made subject to the State. What was to be done about this? People began to worry. There were 138 in that group gathered in Barmen, Germany, to do something. They talked and talked.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Half-way through the second day, when everyone there did what Germans did in those days, that is, take a nap between 1:00 and 3:00, while everyone was napping, Karl Barth drank a strong cup of coffee and wrote what is called the Barmen Declaration. It is only a couple of pages long. Six main points. Scripture, what we hold, and what we reject.<\/p>\n

Select here<\/a> to read more or here <\/a>for a pdf document.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8071"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8079,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8071\/revisions\/8079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}