Brothers and sisters, greetings in the name of our Savior, Jesus. In the midst of busy summer schedules I encourage you to set aside time to attend church and receive God’s gifts.
In his commentary on Romans, Martin Luther wrote, “The saints in being righteous are at the same time sinners; they are righteous because they believe in Christ whose righteousness covers them and is imputed to them, but they are sinners because they do not fulfill the law and are not without sinful desires.” The observation that we Christians are at the same time saints and sinners echoes what St. Paul writes in the epistle lesson for July 9 (Romans 7:14-25). You have experienced the struggle—by God’s grace we trust Jesus’ promises that by His death and resurrection He has set us free from sin’s control and its condemnation. Led by the Holy Spirit we desire to live for Him. Yet, sinful desires and temptations from the world still entangle us. Every day we fail to do the good things God would have us do. Instead, we continue to do bad things He hates. There is an inner spiritual war going on. The Holy Spirit assuring us we are rescued from sin. Our guilty conscience questioning and accusing whether we are really saved or not. What is a Christian to do when they continue to sin? Some answers to that question are given in the Scripture lessons to be read Sunday. We repent, returning to Jesus who mercifully restores us and graciously carries our burdens. Be assured, your righteousness before God is determined because of Jesus’ work, not your works. He delivers us from this body of death.
On July 9 we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting 3 beginning on page 184 in the LSB hymnal. The hymns chosen for the day are #904 Blessed Jesus at Your Word; #768 To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray; #623 Lord Jesus Christ We Humbly Pray; and #687 Thine Forever, God of Love.
Scripture readings for the day are Psalm 145:3-14; Zechariah 9:9-12; Romans 7:14-25a; and Matthew 11:25-30.
Psalm 145 is attributed to be a psalm of David, and a song of praise. It is an acrostic psalm, that is, in the original Hebrew each verse begins with a subsequent letter of the alphabet (the letter ‘nun’ is missing). The psalm refers to God as King, and praises God for His greatness and mighty works. The verses we will recite don’t give very many specifics. In later verses God is acknowledged to be kind and generous, the giver of food, who provides the necessities of life for all of creation, and even satisfies desires. Among God’s attributes revealed to us, He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God’s mercy covers all that He does. So we should join in thanking and praising Him, and declaring His works to all the world.
Zechariah was a prophet after the Jewish exile to Babylon. God bringing restoration is a common theme throughout the prophecy. The verses to be read Sunday are also frequently read during Lent and are connected to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The verses are used this Sunday as they connect to the Gospel lesson, God bringing restoration to our wearied souls burdened by guilt, announcing that our warfare will soon be ended, and prisoners will be set free.
Chapter 7 of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans is complicated and is the subject of many commentaries. After writing a couple of chapters about freedom from sin, St. Paul, the great evangelist, ambassador of Jesus, and teacher of the church admits to being a sinner. He doesn’t understand his actions—in his mind he has a desire to do good, but he often catches himself using his body for doing evil. His mind and body seem to be at war against each other. Some attempt to explain away Paul’s argument, claiming that Christians don’t sin and so he must be referring to life before conversion. But read the Chapter and see how personal it is. Paul frequently refers to ‘me’ and ‘I’. The verb tense is in the present, not in the past. Paul is expressing the lament all Christians have struggled with. It is as if each of us is divided, renewed soul versus evil body. As a follower of Jesus His sinful desires and actions make him feel wretched. God leads him to the realization that we Christians are sinners. But because of Jesus, we are at the same time forgiven sinners—not in some cheap, shrug off kind of way, but acquitted because of the suffering and death Jesus endured in our stead. Righteousness before God is not achieved by attempts at obedience. We cannot satisfy the law’s perfect demands. Jesus is our only hope.
In Matthew 11, the evangelist summarizes Jesus’ ministry in a number of cities. From outward observation, it was not going well. Jesus was calling for repentance and faith, but a majority of the people rejected Him. Jesus warns of the judgment unbelievers will receive. But in the reading for Sunday, verses 25-30, Jesus also thanks God, His Father, that the hidden things of His kingdom are being grasped by a few. God is at work! Even when it appears evil and unbelief have the upper hand, the Holy Spirit is using the gospel to bring people to saving faith. Jesus extends an invitation to the crowds that is still available today—Come to Him and walk with Him. If you are weary, weighed down by the troubles of life and the yoke of sin, He will carry the load and will give rest to your soul.
Collect: Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days, Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at this life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ Jesus, Your Son, our Lord and Savior,
who lives and reigns with You, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests or questions about Sunday’s Scripture lessons. The Lord be with you. Pastor Boster
