Martin Luther: Christ is Risen! (Feat. Bryan Wolfmueller)

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[00:00:41] It is the victory of life over death, a life everlasting with which this temporal existence on Earth cannot be compared. Of this we have reason to rejoice. Every week we bring you a different voice from history in a sermon that they delivered today.

[00:00:57] We got another Martin Luther episode for you and we've changed it up the format a little bit. I'm sure you may have noticed by now. We had to record this episode kind of in sections.

[00:01:07] We wanted to get an interview in with Brian Wolfmueller, but the schedules as such only allowed for Troy to be able to interview him from his home there. So the interviews not in the studio and I was unable to be there but I still really think

[00:01:21] it's a solid list and I found it really interesting when I was able to listen back to it. Some of the things they talked about I felt were kind of, I don't want to say controversy but

[00:01:30] in contradiction to what I felt I knew about Luther and Paul Paltzern and things along those lines. Definitely if nothing else, more views on Luther more insight into who he was

[00:01:44] and how people are still learning from him and figuring out who he was as a person all these years later. So I know the sound quality is going to be a little bit different here but I really think

[00:01:53] you're going to find this interview between Troy and Brian Wolfmueller interesting as they set up the sermon that we're going to hear today. Brian, if you don't mind can you tell us a little bit about yourself and maybe why you enjoy the character of Martin Luther so much?

[00:02:07] Yeah sure. Brian Wolf for the pastor at Saint Paul Luther Church and Jesus Death Luther and Churches in Austin, Texas and Luther is a hero of mine for a lot of different reasons

[00:02:21] but one is because he was a perpetual student of the Bible. He never stopped mining the scriptures. He I mean, he translated the entirety of the Old Testament New Testament including the Apocalypse

[00:02:34] from the original languages into German and says at one time if you think of the Bible like a tree and the leaves is a words I've turned over every leaf but he never got bored with it.

[00:02:47] He was always back to the scriptures, always learning, always studying. He cut his teeth on for example teaching the minor prophets at University in seminary and the song, he lectured in the Old Testament and the New Testament and he was a biblical theologian.

[00:03:03] I don't think that Luther's biblical theology has gotten enough attention because he's seen as the reformer which he was as a modern man that's how normally people think of him now because he stood on his conscience against all these great ancient institutions and that's all

[00:03:22] fine but he went back to the scriptures so that he was ready to preach and ready to suffer and die. And so in that way, he's a hero of mine and he's helpful to me because he is always

[00:03:36] opening the scriptures and bringing us Christ. I've said a lot of times, a Luther is only going to be helpful if he brings us Christ and he brings us Christ and therefore he is helpful.

[00:03:45] So the helpfulness of Luther is that he serves as a pastor and brings to us these green pastors of Christ in the scriptures. He said he said he said he served as a pastor actually was

[00:03:56] something I want to ask you about, I think we oftentimes will get Martin Luther and we think of Martin Luther. You like you said here I say in Ash. I do know other the big reformation giant

[00:04:05] book writer but I was wondering is anything you can tell us about, you know, maybe Martin Luther the pastor, the preacher, the man that people would see week to week or even the professor just

[00:04:14] as a personal if you were a student of his or you were a congregant of his, what did you think of when he saw Martin Luther? Yeah he was already famous in his day. He was the University of

[00:04:26] Whittenberg was a pretty new university in a small town although it was an important town because the elector of Saxony was there so it kind of had an outsized importance and that elector Frederick

[00:04:36] the Wise had established this Whittenberg University and his two and he so he wanted famous professors to come to the university and Martin Luther was certainly one of them and also

[00:04:45] Philip Malankton was sought after and it was a big deal and you can go and visit the Luther house now the Malankton house now in Whittenberg they were big houses. In fact Luther was given

[00:04:56] the August Indian monastery as his home so there was a there's the August Indian monastery in Whittenberg but after Whittenberg embraced the reformation there was kind of there's no room in the end

[00:05:07] for any monks or nuns that's kind of that sort of things over so they had this huge big I mean it's like a hotel and they gave it to Luther and he and his wife Katie looked after it and he

[00:05:17] would always have students and people traveling through always there and he would be lecturing during the day he'd preach and he'd fill in for the pastor there, Boogan Hagen at St. Mary's in Whittenberg oftentimes when he was traveling because he was almost like a bishop and superintendent

[00:05:33] so Luther would preach a lot he would write sermons to help the other pastors and he'd do basically Bible studies and open theological conversations at night so there's all these table talks for basically he had a boarding house for theology nerds and he was all just

[00:05:50] constantly doing theology. He was also traveling as well so he would travel to give presentations to oversee disputes and even to kind of help reconcile people in different places so he was being used by the elector there in Whittenberg to serve his kind of theological purpose to bring

[00:06:11] order to the church so he had a lot going on. He has a lot going on one of the ways you can see that he has just been very busy if I if I and maybe I heard this wrong but I believe one of my

[00:06:23] seminar professor said if you were to write 90 words a minute for I think it's something like maybe eight or ten hours a day it would take you what like maybe 10 years or it was some maybe over the

[00:06:32] top statistic to write down just to just copy word for word everything that Martin Luther wrote his lifetime. Do you know is that true and how does somebody how is it possible that somebody was

[00:06:43] even able to just do that much writing while also I mean he was under intense persecution under intense times do you have any insight as a how a person how we were able to do that yeah he worked

[00:06:54] to the bone you can see when he died in ice lab and they brought him back through Hala to Whittenberg and when he was in Hala they did a death mask of him so they took a plaster

[00:07:05] of his face in his hands and his right hand was curled like he was holding it but even in death so he was that you know their famous the saying Luther says I was throwing ink at the devil

[00:07:16] and people think that he actually took up like an ink bottle and threw it at the devil. I think that's Luther talking about his writing he's throwing ink at the devil. He understood this

[00:07:24] a spiritual warfare his writing and publishing things and he was a popular writer and so as much as he could write that the appetite was there for it to be consumed so he was writing

[00:07:38] sermons he was writing Bible studies he was writing letters he was writing I mean a lot of arguments and a lot of Luther's writings were captured by his students so for example there's his Genesis commentary which is eight volumes yes eight volumes of a Genesis commentary Luther didn't

[00:08:00] write that he lectured and those lecture notes were written down and then he oversaw their publication same with his greater Galatians a lot of a song lectures so he was people knew that

[00:08:14] when they had Luther they had some special going on so they were already kind of writing down everywhere the decays so a lot of his published works were again transcripts of his lectures which

[00:08:26] were then turned into books under his you know they would you know have them double check but I'm sure I'm pretty sure Luther's like they said hey could you read through this Genesis commentary

[00:08:36] to make sure it's what you said and he back looks good yeah thank you so very meticulously read every page maybe yeah he was moving fast okay now you mentioned this and actually guided

[00:08:47] it because that was another question I actually had for you as modern people you know the one thing that it kind of stands out one of the maybe points there's two points on ask is modern people

[00:08:55] how we approach Martin Luther one of them is you know he says he has maybe these encounters with how the devil or hears the voice of different things like that if you if you if I'm maybe I'm

[00:09:07] miscoding that maybe I'm misunderstanding that but I you know he has heard these things what do you think of that you do some people with them I mean just kind of on the on the one hand would want to

[00:09:15] write that off but obviously Martin Luther you know I don't think anybody would accuse him of being schizophrenic or crazy is clearly very intelligent man with a very well-rashed and doubt ideas so what

[00:09:25] do you think we should make of that is that something especially as we apply today because there are other people who may say they hear the same things and I to me I'm like okay I don't want to a great

[00:09:35] example is Joan of Arc she also believes she hears voices and stuff like that how do we balance out the idea that Martin Luther thinks on the one hand but also Joan of Arc and I don't this

[00:09:44] isn't makes sense that question I'm asking making sure I don't know of a place where Luther talks about hearing the devil okay but that being said every page of Luther mentions the devil

[00:09:57] so he was he was fighting his whole life with spiritual warfare and he understood it in that context but he also was against what one of the genius of things of Luther's theology was this

[00:10:13] understanding that it's the external word that has authority and one of the big fights that he's fighting is against enthusiasm it's what he identifies as enthusiasm so we just think of enthusiasm as being very excited but theological enthusiasm means that the internal word has an authority

[00:10:32] and maybe even over the external word so so for example the the Quakers would be examples of this where they don't preach that they wait for someone to be moved by the whole dispute and then

[00:10:44] they speak this was part of the radical reformation that was going on at the time of Luther and he he said that every error comes from enthusiasm that is listening to your heart rather than

[00:10:55] listening to the word of God so Luther was always pointing us back to the external word of God and so it's one of the it's for example Zwingley had a dream or a vision that where Jesus came and said

[00:11:08] my body's not in the supper so Zwingley himself testified to the fact that the body that that his theology of the word supper comes from a vision Luther is very unique in this way he's he never

[00:11:19] says I had a vision in fact when he tells the story of how he discovered the gospel he says I was meditating on the text and I paid attention to the context specifically Romans chapter one

[00:11:31] verses 16 and 17 and so Luther would be in a lot of ways an anti mystical theologian always pressing us back to the external word of the text that's very interesting this is not actually

[00:11:46] originally in my notes but thinking in that terms of enthusiasm it reminded me and maybe you won't maybe we're not we're not sure on this but it kind of reminds me of one of the big criticisms

[00:11:54] of the great awakening when it was happening was that these people are too enthusiastic they're too passionate you know what's going on here and there were things I think a lot of us would say

[00:12:03] today if we saw them that's not you know maybe normal not when I'm not what I'm used to when I go to church just out of curiosity any ideas of what Martin Luther would say if he was seeing

[00:12:12] some of the reactions people were having to a Jonathan Edwards or George Whitfield the engine and this of the question there's no right answer probably yeah you so Luther himself was very moved by his own theological reflection you know to often to times to tears and to joy

[00:12:28] and yet I think I could make a pretty solid case that Luther was always worried that our own experiences our own thoughts our own reason even our own emotions would

[00:12:43] stand above the word of God and my take on it and I think I would reflect Luther in this but there's something that happens so the theology is always looking for an assurance for the assurance

[00:12:56] of salvation there's something that happens when you lose the external word the efficacy of the word of God and the means of grace baptism in the Lord's supper as external assurances of God's kindness and my understanding and I think this is a good reflection of Luther

[00:13:14] is that the whole Protestant experience so I'm an exclude Lutheran from Protestantism. The whole Protestant experiment is to find comfort that is it's to feel the void that's left when the sacraments are gone so when you have a symbolic picture baptism a symbolic picture of the Lord

[00:13:33] supper you've you've emptied the sacraments of their of their assurance giving strength and then the whole Protestant experience is to try to fill in that void again that's why taking I think

[00:13:46] it's built up in Luther and so I think that would be his criticism is that you don't need the sort of over the top reaction if you just have the solid promise of your sins are forgiven

[00:13:56] in the evolution or in baptism or the supper or wherever that actually brings the forgiveness of sins so I know I'm forgiven because I hate the body of Jesus and he said this is my blood

[00:14:06] poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins so the experience is able to be subordinated to the words and promises of God. Well that's very interesting I so that was the first

[00:14:19] maybe modern contention I've seen people kind of throw around the I think you answered extremely well this second one and this one it's almost a joke on the end of the Martin Luther insult generator

[00:14:29] and the all these things are people love to talk about how he has a bit of a wild tongue what are your thoughts on that because because of my perspective I do I do understand where people

[00:14:39] he you know some of these insults do not sound nice but I also kind of keep in my mind that Martin Luther is insulting people who are you know persecuting and killing some of his you know

[00:14:47] for friends and people that are important to the movement so my mind saying something not nice about somebody sometimes is not comparable well I love to hear what you think about that aspect of

[00:14:56] him that I think a lot of people it's a genuine I've heard people say like I just don't like that about you know you got it's good to read Lutheran context I mean it's just good to read the whole

[00:15:06] pieces together so those insults are kind of plucked out because they're kind of funny and he did he was very witty there's a reason why even the Calvinist quote Luther because he's just so much more quotable I mean John Calvin had a few zingers here and there but

[00:15:22] but so Luther was a sinner so we should not be defending Luther and saying he was sinless or even then he was inspired but he his authority comes from the word of God and when he brought the

[00:15:34] word of God we receive it as such when he didn't we throw it out so no big deal in fact it's a misnomer that the Lutheran Church has somehow considered Lutheran authority we've we've picked about five of Luther's works and said these are a true exposition of the

[00:15:50] scriptures and we're going to stick with those and the rest of his stuff is almost just to be taken into advisement so small catechism large catechism small called articles those are the chief confessional writings of Luther and we thank the Lord for them maybe this is out

[00:16:09] for though in the beginning of his Galatians commentary Luther says that when you're dealing with false teaching you have to make a distinction between the false teacher and the falsely taught and he's he's expect especially looking at how Saint Paul talks about the false teachers and

[00:16:28] and Philippians I mean in Philippians Paul says I wish that you know those who are pushing circumcision I wish they would mutilate themselves you know this kind of or when when he's unathematizing the the gospel rejectors in Galatians chapter one and and so Luther says

[00:16:46] that we make a distinction between the false teacher and the falsely taught like we make a distinction when a dog bites the child if a dog bites a kid you kick the dog and you comfort the child

[00:16:58] and so when there's false teaching you have to make that determination and my dealing with a false teacher it needs the violence that the Holy Spirit demonstrates in the scriptures that the

[00:17:10] Lord has towards false teachers or am I dealing with someone who's falsely taught who needs to be dealt with comforted and and and consoled and dealt very gently with so most the time when we see

[00:17:22] those kind of Luther insult generators we're watching Luther kick the dog there's a whole collection of letters we're going to have a class on this summer Luther's letters of spiritual counsel where you see Luther consoling the child and speaking with great tenderness, great gentleness, great patience

[00:17:40] and kindness but on those big kind of famous works where he's saying you Pope are Antichrist and you arasmas are Antichrist and you swingly are Antichrist when he's making those big bold theological claims he's going after the false teacher and he does it with zeal.

[00:18:07] Do you think about how your iPhone affects your daily life as a Christian? I'm Adam and I'm Chris and this episode is brought to you by the device in virtue podcast where we argue

[00:18:17] about the wrongs and rights of technology and faith in everyday life from DNA tests to TikTok videos. Give us a listen and this fall check out our new online seminary course. It's called Theology

[00:18:30] of Technology, Church and Culture in the Age of Zoom. Find out more at deviceanverchew.com pick the sermon that we're about to listen to and you were just sending me an email before

[00:18:47] like this is a good sermon you're very excited about it. Can you tell the audience tell people you know tell who is listening what it is you're really hoping they get from it and what

[00:18:55] is it that you just don't want them to miss for sure? Absolutely so this is Martin Luther's first Easter sermon from the house post. Let's all in Matthew 28 that's on the the events and the

[00:19:06] power and benefit of the resurrection of Jesus. Here's the Luther was a great Easter preacher and here's one of the reasons why a lot of times people want to set the cross and Easter

[00:19:18] against each other so you'll mention it so I'll for example this happened to me any number of times. I'll mention the crucifixion of Jesus in the sermon and someone will say, well the pastor don't forget Easter don't forget that Jesus is risen as if

[00:19:32] as if Easter is undoing the cross. Luther understands Easter as amplifying the cross. They go together the ones crucified as the one who's risen but they are part of the same work and and here's how we'll do it it's really rhetorically wonderful you'll say on on good Friday

[00:19:52] you see your sins on Jesus and then on Easter you see Jesus but there's no sin on him there's no suffering there's no dying and you don't go asking where it is. So Jesus carries your sin to the

[00:20:06] grave but he comes out of the grave with no sin at all so maybe just a couple of words you'll hear it in a few minutes but it says he talked about how as the divine son of God he has

[00:20:16] the strength to bear our sins so he says this load was taken from us and placed by God himself upon his son so the load of our sin, the load of our death etc. Who from it who is God from eternity

[00:20:28] alone could bear the heavy weight of sin? Upon him we now find our bird let us leave it there for there is no one else to be found who could better relieve us of it. The other scene,

[00:20:40] Easter, presents to us Christ no longer in woe in misery weighed down with the ponderous mass of our sins which God has laid upon him but beautiful glorious and rejoicing for all the sins

[00:20:51] have disappeared from him. From this we have a right to conclude if our sins on account of the sufferings of Christ no longer upon us but are taken from our shoulders by God himself and placed

[00:21:03] upon a son and if on Easter after the resurrection they are no more to be seen where are they? Micah truly says they are sunk into the depths of the sea and no devil or anybody else will find them again

[00:21:18] so this connection of crucifixion of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus this theological connection is profound it's profound for us and really wonderful to catch and to rejoice it some of the best stuff comes at the very end I think I've got double underlined

[00:21:36] a very last paragraph for the sermon and so it's worth it to stick with it to the end even though it's a bit of a longer sermon. Well absolutely I think everyone I mean I know I think everyone

[00:21:46] is excited to listen to what we have here I think Martin Luther is just one of those people that you can go back there are certain people in church history you didn't kind of go back to the well

[00:21:54] and keep learning from and going through and Martin Luther is actually featured in our show revived dealers where every day every day the week we had a big speaker and Martin Luther is one of

[00:22:03] those days where it's just we've been going through for a year and every time I always find something new and something exciting I'm like wow I just I really appreciate reading his stuff and just

[00:22:12] they're discerning people that just have that ability Brian can tell us I tell everyone one more time where they can find you or what they can if they want to hear more from you where they would go yeah

[00:22:20] sure all the stuff ends up on wolfmular.co and if you can in fact if you go to wolfmular.co slash Luther sermon then there's a whole year where the sermons that we recorded from Luther as well so

[00:22:31] people should certainly listen to it first on your podcast but if you can't get enough you can find a bunch over there as well. All right thank you so much Brian we really appreciate having you on. Thank you. music

[00:22:56] In the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the cephaliker and behold there was a great earthquake for the

[00:23:06] angel the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning and his raimment white a snow and for fear of him the

[00:23:18] keepers did shake and became his dead man and the angel answered and said unto the women fear not ye for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified he is not here for he is risen as he said

[00:23:32] come see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell us disciples that he is risen from the dead and behold he goeth before you in the gallantly there shall ye see him.

[00:23:43] Low I have told you and they departed quickly from the cephaliker with fear and great joy and did run to bring his disciples word and as they went to tell the disciples behold

[00:23:54] Jesus met them saying oh hail and they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. Then said Jesus unto them be not afraid go tell my brethren that they go unto gallantly

[00:24:11] and their shall they see me. Luther's sermon the present festival directs our attention to that conciliatory and joyful article of our creed in which we confess that Christ on the third day

[00:24:26] arose again from the dead. This requires us first of all to know and consider the Easter narrative then also to learn why this has happened and how to enjoy its benefits. The Easter events were these.

[00:24:40] On the evening of Thursday before Easter when Christ had a risen from the from the supper and gone under the garden he was betrayed by Judas and taken prisoner by the Jews. These dragged him

[00:24:51] from one high priest to the other until they finally concluded to give him over into the hands of pilot who as governor had the power to pronounce judgment. About the third hour of the day

[00:25:01] sentence was passed upon him when he was led forth to execution and was crucified. At the six hour about noon or an hour later an earthquake occurred and the sun was darkened toward the

[00:25:13] night hour which would be nearly three hours before sunset. Christ died upon the cross. This is according to the statement of Mark. The other evangelists do not state so definitely the hours in which these

[00:25:25] events took place. In our creed we confess that Christ arose again on the third day which is far different from saying that he arose after three days. The Lord was not dead three entire nights

[00:25:37] and days. On Friday evening about three hours before dark he died. These three hours are called the first day. During the whole night and day of the Sabbath he remained in the grave and also the following night

[00:25:50] until the next morning. This night counts also as a day for the Jews begin their day with the night and count night and day as one whole day. We reversed this method of counting and call the day

[00:26:02] and the night one day. In the church however, the old Jewish method of reckoning the festivals was retained so that these always began with the evening of the previous day. Very early on Sunday morning

[00:26:15] which was the third day after the Friday on which Christ was crucified and at the first dawn of day when the soldiers were lying around the tomb, Christ who had died awoke to a new eternal life.

[00:26:29] And arose from the dead in such a manner that the guards around the grave were unaware of his resurrection. From the account which Matthew gives of this event we must infer that Christ did not

[00:26:39] arise during the earthquake which evidently began when the angel descended from heaven and rolled away the rock from the entrance of the tomb. Christ however passed out from the closed grave

[00:26:50] without disturbing the seals put on it just as on the evening of the same day he also came to the disciples through the doors which were shut. When the earth began to quake and the angel appeared

[00:27:01] the soldiers were so terrified that they lost all consciousness as soon as they recovered they all ran from the grave, summoned this others in that direction for the coming of the angel

[00:27:14] was to them no occasion of rejoicing but one of terror and distress. There were others however who should be comforted by the cheerful tidings of the angel. While the soldiers ran from the tomb Mary Magdalene married the mother of James and Salome, also Peter and John soon after

[00:27:31] came to see the Seplicer. When the women arrived the angel comforts them telling them that Christ is a risen and that they should see him in Galilee he also orders them to depart in haste

[00:27:41] and to announce these things to the disciples. As the women returned from the Seplicer the Lord meets Mary Magdalene in the guise of the Gardener and appears also to Peter as John relates.

[00:27:52] In the evening of the same day he joins himself to the two disciples who are walking to a mayus and revealed himself unto them when he break the bread and gave it to them. After these

[00:28:01] two disciples had hastily returned to Jerusalem to announce to the others what had happened unto them how they had seen the Lord and when the disciples were amazed at this, some however still

[00:28:11] doubting the truth of such reports of Jesus suddenly appears in their midst the doors being closed. John chapter 20. These are the incidents of the Holy Easter Festival in reference to the revelation of our Lord and Savior as we learned from the evangelists.

[00:28:26] It behooves us to be well acquainted with these facts. They refer to the article of our Creed which confesses that Christ arose again from the dead on the third day. The mere knowledge of these events however is not enough, we must also realize they're meaning and importance

[00:28:42] of these will when I'll speak a little for the subject is so fertile and inexhaustible that we could not fully present it though we preached about it every day of the year. If we desire to comprehend the benefits of the resurrection of Christ, we must keep and view

[00:28:57] two distinct pictures. The one is somber full of distress, misery and woes. It is the scene of blood presented to us on good Friday, Christ crucified between murderers and dying with excruciating pain. This scene we must contemplate with much earnestness as already said to realize that it all

[00:29:18] happened on account of our sins. Yay that Christ has the true high priest sacrificed himself for us and paid with his death our debts. We ought all to know that our sins thus wounded and tormented Christ and that his sufferings were caused alone by our inequities. Therefore,

[00:29:37] as often as we remember our view or view this doleful bloody scene, we ought to bear in mind that we have before us our sins and the terrible wrath of God against them. A wrath so dire

[00:29:51] that no creature could endure it, that all atonement became impossible except the one made by the sacrifice and death of the Son of God. If this also awful scene were the only one presented

[00:30:04] to our site and if it remained unchanged it would be too terrible and painful. But this picture of sorrow is changed and in our creed we joined closely together these two articles.

[00:30:17] Christ was crucified, died, was buried and descended into hell and on the third day he rose again from the dead. Yay, air three days had gone by our Lord and Savior, presents to us another picture

[00:30:30] beautiful full of life, lovely and cheerful in order that we might have the sure consolation that not only are sins were annihilated in the death of Christ but that by his resurrection a new eternal righteousness and life were obtained as St. Paul says Romans 4,

[00:30:46] Christ was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. And first Corinthians 15, if Christ be not raised your faith is in vain, Yay, he are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ or parish.

[00:31:01] If in this life we only have hope and Christ we are of all men most miserable. As in the former scene we saw the burden of our sin upon him and bringing him to the cross.

[00:31:13] So in this other scene of the resurrection we witnessed no longer sin, pain and sorrow but only righteousness, joy and happiness. It is the victory of life over death, a life everlasting with which this temporal existence on earth cannot be compared. Of this we have reason to rejoice.

[00:31:32] Nearly to view the former scene would be terrible but when we view it in connection with the gladful events of the resurrection and when we bear in mind why our Lord suffered thus, we will derive from such a contemplation much benefit and consolation.

[00:31:47] It will become apparent to us how an expressively great the love of God toward a sports sinner's was as he had compassion on our misery even to such an amazing extent that he did not

[00:31:58] spare his beloved and only child but gave him up for us to bear upon the cross and in death the burden of our transgressions which were too heavy for us and would have crushed us to the earth.

[00:32:11] This load was taken from us and placed by God himself upon his son who as God from eternity could alone bear the heavy weight of sin. Upon him we now find our burden. Let us leave it there

[00:32:25] for there is no one else to be found who could better relieve us of it. The other scene presents us to Christ no longer in woe and misery weighed down with the pondress mass of our sins which

[00:32:37] God had laid upon him but beautiful glorious and rejoicing for all the sins have disappeared from him. From this we have a right to conclude if our sins on account of the suffering of Christ

[00:32:49] now lie no longer upon us but are taken from our shoulders by God himself and placed upon his son and if on Easter after the resurrection they are no more to be seen where then are they?

[00:33:03] Micah truly says, they are sunk into the depth of the sea and no devil nor anybody else shall find them again. This article of our faith is glorious and blessed whoever holds it

[00:33:16] whoever holds it not is no Christian yet all the world reviles slanders and abuses it. The Pope and his cardinals generally treat even this narrative as a fable to be laughed at. They are full grown Epicurians who smile with scorn when told of an eternal life to come.

[00:33:34] Our nobility, our burgers and our peasants also believe in a future life rather from custom than from true conviction else they would act otherwise and not busy themselves solely with the cares, honors and employment of this temporal life but we're rather seek after that which is eternal.

[00:33:50] But we may preach and explain as we will the world regards it as foolishness. Thus we see that this article meets with opposition on every side even they who possess and believe the word of God

[00:34:01] do not take it to heart as earnestly as they should. If we desire to be true Christians, it is necessary for us firmly to establish in our hearts through faith, this article

[00:34:13] that Christ who bore our sins upon the cross and died in payment for them arose again from the dead for our justification. The more firmly we believe this the more will our hearts rejoice

[00:34:25] and be comforted, for it is impossible not to be glad when we see Christ alive, a pure and beautiful thing who before on account of our sins was wretched and pitiful, pitiful in death and in the grave. We are now convinced that our transgressions are removed and forever

[00:34:41] put away. In the strength of this faith, the early Christians composed and sang in Latin and German, so charming and truly Christ from all his sufferings has arisen and will our solace be hence we all should now rejoice. And again Christ the innocent lamb has by his sacrifice

[00:35:07] purchased and redeemed us poor lost sheep and has through his innocence, reconcile us to the father. There was an amazing conflict between life and death, the Lord of life dieeth but having a risen now liveeth and rueth. Whoever composed these old hymns must certainly have had a proper

[00:35:25] Christian conception of a great event else he could not have depicted so skillfully the scene when death assaulted life and when the devil madly rushed against it. Our Lord and Savior

[00:35:35] Jesus Christ permitted himself to be slain yet death was much mistaken in his aim for the life in this person whom he attacked was eternal death was not aware of this and that in eternal and

[00:35:48] divine power was enclosed in the mortal body and was vanquished in the tilt. He attacked him who cannot die though he didn't though he did die on the cross for as surely as the human

[00:36:00] nature and Christ was dead his divine nature was incapable of death though it was so concealed in him during his passion and death as our old teachers presented that it manifested itself in

[00:36:11] no wise and this for the very purpose that Christ might die. Death did all that he could but since the Lord according to his divine nature is life itself he could not remain dead but freedom

[00:36:24] self from death and all his auxiliaries vanquished sin and Satan and now rules in new life exempt from all disturbances of sin, the devil and death. This is indeed a strange perplexing

[00:36:40] declaration, Christ though he died still live and by his dying to spoil the death of all his power. Reason cannot comprehend this, it's a matter of faith but to us it is a source of great comfort

[00:36:53] to know and to believe that death has lost his reign and that we owe this praise be to God to the one whom death attacks and overcomes as he does all mortals but whom he cannot hold.

[00:37:06] For in the struggle ensuing death himself perishes and is swallowed up while Christ to a died lives and reigns forever. St Paul rejoices over this beautifully when he writes Colossians 2, and you being dead in your sins and in the un-circumcision of your flesh

[00:37:23] have he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to the cross and having spoiled principalities and powers

[00:37:37] he made a show of them openly try-um-fing over them in it. Two facts are here presented. He says in the first place that Christ has with his own life blotted out the handwriting which was against us according to the law. By this the apostle means

[00:37:53] that we learn from the law what God demands of us, what we should do, and what we should avoid. If now we trespass against the law either by omitting to do what we ought to do or by doing

[00:38:04] what we ought not to do, our conscience will accuse us of the wrong done. Thus our conscience becomes as it were a handwriting against us in which we testify against ourselves as to our disobedience and hence our subject to the wrath and punishment of God.

[00:38:20] The law makes this handwriting as St Paul says for if there were no law there would be no transgression. Thus we have against us at the same time our sins and the handwriting which

[00:38:32] convicts us of them so that we must plead guilty even as a merchant would have to acknowledge his own signature and seal. Here the apostle would say we receive the assistance of Christ our Lord.

[00:38:44] He blots out our handwriting nailing it to the cross that is he makes a hole through it and tears it to pieces so that it can never again be used against us. To do this Christ was crucified,

[00:38:58] he bore our sins and paid our debts with his own life. This is what we have to notice first in the words of St Paul above quoted. In the second place he says Christ has spoiled principalities and

[00:39:11] powers that is he dispoiled the devil of his power so that he can no longer urge and force Christians to sin as was his custom to do air they were converted to Christ. Now they are

[00:39:23] enabled by the assistance of the Holy Ghost to resist the wicked one to defend themselves with the gospel and faith so as to repel him and thus have peace. Under this end Christ sends us

[00:39:35] his Holy Spirit. In a similar manner are the powers spoiled that is Christ's conquered death whose power over us before was irresistible. Now the Christians have the weapon with which to conquer

[00:39:48] the devil and death. For these though they rage and chafe and bring all their might to bear against the Christians will not succeed as St Paul says Romans 8, there is therefore now no condemnation

[00:40:00] to them which are in Christ Jesus. As Christ has conquered death so has he also vanquished sin. In himself he was just and free from sin but in as much as he assumed the sins of others

[00:40:15] he became a sinner. As he laments Psalm 49 I said Lord be merciful be merciful unto me heal my soul for I have sinned against thee. He prays thus because sin has upon him.

[00:40:31] Nor does Christ seek to avoid this encounter with sin. He willingly goes under death upon the cross as if he himself had sinned and marited death as Isaiah says he was numbered with the transgressors.

[00:40:44] And yet not he but we had sinned. He merely came to our rescue and for our benefit took upon himself our load of transgressions. But his holiness though buried beneath the sins of others is

[00:40:57] so great that sin cannot prevail against it. Thus sin and death are thwarted in their intentions. They encounter a two valiant adversary. Death himself succumbs and is defeated in the struggle as Saint Paul declares. The devil also made haste to assert his authority and would fain

[00:41:16] being bring Christ under his power but he encounters a mightyer one whom he cannot conquer. For Christ though much distressed by his suffering and apparently overcome by the devil is nevertheless strong and invincible. The devil was ignorant of this and loses all his power

[00:41:34] so that Christ can be said to have conquered the time when Satan was sure of victory. Hence these three terrible foes, the devil sinned and death are now defeated and under the feet of Christ. This glorious victory we celebrate today. Above all we must firmly believe

[00:41:55] that in Christ there was a contest between God and the devil, between righteousness and sin, between life and death, between that which is good and that which is evil, between purity and all manner of corruption and that the triumph was on the side of God.

[00:42:11] This scene we ought to cherish fondly and earnestly and often to contemplate. In the former scene of suffering and death we witnessed our sin, our sentence of condemnation, and death resting heavily upon Christ, making him a distressed, pitiful man.

[00:42:29] Now on Easter we have the other scene, unalloyed with sin, no curse, no frown, no death as visible. It is all life, mercy, happiness and righteousness and Christ. This picture can and should

[00:42:40] cheer our hearts. We should regard it with no other feeling but that today God brings us also to the life with Christ. We should firmly believe that as we see no sin or death nor condemnation

[00:42:52] and Christ, so God will also for Christ's sake consider us free from these if we faithfully rely upon his son and depend upon his resurrection. Such a blessing we derive from faith. The day will come however when faith shall be lost in sight and full fruition.

[00:43:11] Nevertheless, while we are here on earth we see him. Death, disgrace and reproach and all kinds of wants and infirmities remain with us, and we must patiently bear them. These all relate

[00:43:24] however only to the flesh for in our faith we are already happy. As Christ arose from the dead and has a life eternal free from sin and death, so have we these treasures in faith.

[00:43:37] And as surely as the devil could not prevail against Christ but had to flee, so surely he will also flee from the Christian who believes. In the end our body will also be

[00:43:48] perfected so that neither sin or death can have power over it. For the present we are as weak and sinful as other people only that we strive to shun open and gross sins. It is true,

[00:44:00] Christians may also now in the beginning of these but they remain not in them. They flee them again through earnest repentance and obtain through faith forgiveness of all their sins. Hence it is impossible to judge a Christian or right by his external life and conduct. He may not

[00:44:18] be guilty of open gross sins against conscience yet he is not free from sins and infirmities. Therefore we must daily pray, forgive us our trespasses. On the other hand, it may be that he thins and unbelievers in their outward walk of life appear before the world

[00:44:35] just as good, yay even better than the true children of God. To know and judge a Christian correctly, it is necessary to make his faith the criterion. As to our flesh and blood we are sinners,

[00:44:47] must die and suffer many evils upon earth perhaps even more than others who have no faith since Christians feel the burden of their sins and are troubled by them while the others live

[00:44:57] in full security undisturbed by their guilt. How then can Christians claim to be holy and free from sin? By believing that in Christ who died for their sins and arose again from the dead, they have forgiveness upon which they rely and which they earnestly seek in faith.

[00:45:16] Christians only can do this. For to believe the forgiveness of sins and to seek it is the work of the Holy Ghost. Where the Holy Ghost is wanting, this faith is also absent. The enemies of the

[00:45:28] gospel, the Pope and his crowd are living examples. They are great and abominable sinners but they know it not nor do they ask forgiveness and faith. If now and then a conviction of their sins breaks

[00:45:41] in upon them, they know not what to do. They despair that Christ arose from the dead without sin is an unknown story to them. A Christian however has comfort and happiness and Christ in proportion to the faith where with he contemplates this scene of the resurrection.

[00:45:58] He views Christ no longer bloody and wounded but in all his beauty and loveliness. For as he formally on account of our sins was bleeding and crucified, so he has now for our consolation and eternal life full of happiness and joy.

[00:46:18] Let us therefore be glad and sing. All this happened in our behalf. These two facts then belong together. Through faith and Christ we are pure and holy on account of the old Adam

[00:46:29] within us, we are in pure and sinners. This impurity we remember when we pray, our Father forgive us our trespasses and our comforted in the faith that God for Christ's sake and in the

[00:46:40] power of His resurrection hears us and partens us and gives us eternal life. Thus we are holy in Christ through faith even if we are sinners. For it matters not how much is yet lacking in us. Christ our Lord

[00:46:53] and had arose from the dead. He has conquered sin and death and we through faith and Him are also freed from their power. Whoever does not believe in this and has not Christ will lie and remain

[00:47:06] under the dominion of sin and spite of all his good works and religious observances. Let us therefore earnestly view and study this joyful, lovely and blessed Easter scene. It is a picture without sin and death. If sin travels us, if our conscience accuses us of evil

[00:47:24] deeds and faithlessness let us remember and exclaim it is true we are sinners. Nor can we deny the weakness of our faith but we can solve ourselves with the knowledge that Jesus Christ has taken upon Himself and born our iniquities and by His resurrection on this

[00:47:41] glorious Easter festival sin and punishment threaten us no more. Say devil sin and death, why did you accuse this man before pilot and nail him to the cross? Did you do right in this

[00:47:56] and sin death in the devil within confess that a mistake was made that they wrongfully abused them? Then we can say to sin death in the devil, get you gone, molest us not.

[00:48:09] But perhaps our timid hearts will object and ask, how dare we rely on this? Are we not sinners? Be sure then to reply, yes it is so we are sinners but that shall not cause us to doubt

[00:48:23] since Christ is no sinner. He died and arose again from the dead for us and the benefits of this are ours. If this does not satisfy you, settle with him, ask him what he did with your sins,

[00:48:37] whether they were too heavy for him so that he could not bear them and had to lay them upon you again. He will surely be at ease who thus can turn the devil with his accusations to Christ

[00:48:48] who silenced him before so completely. This is the true doctrine concerning faith, which everyone supposes himself to possess and to understand. There are however but few who know it would arrive, for it cannot be taught merely with words, the Holy Ghost must do it.

[00:49:05] If you have mastered this art, you are a Christian but if you are in perfect in it, thank God that you belong to the number of those who love to hear it and do not revile it as the

[00:49:16] Turks, Jews and Papas do, who imagine themselves so upright that they are perfectly justified in the side of God and need not this Easter narrative in their struggle with sin death in the devil. Among them faith perishes entirely. May we learn utterly to disregard our own holiness

[00:49:35] and to keep before our eyes only this Easter scene Christ arisen from the dead, the conqueror over sin death and hell. If we thus look to Christ alone and not to ourselves just as our eyes

[00:49:48] do not look upon themselves while we are going forward, it will be well for us. May our Lord Jesus Christ grant us this in mercy. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's episode of Revive Thoughts. Today's sermon was

[00:50:12] narrated by Brian Wolfmiller. Definitely check out Brian Wolfmiller's website links are in the description below. Sick with this here at Revive Thoughts, we got some exciting episodes coming up in the next few weeks, but we will still have names that you've probably never heard of.

[00:50:28] One of our goals with Revive Thoughts is not only to remember these great, recognizable names and church history and and sermons and preaching, but also to shine a light on people you may never

[00:50:39] have heard of before. The timeless truth of scriptures is preached by a huge variety of people over the past 1900 years and it's all worthy of being remembered, we're being documented and being

[00:50:53] shared. So the next time you see a name you don't recognize in that feed, give it a chance, give it a click on you might find someone new that you never was on your radar previously. This is Joel

[00:51:03] and Troy and this is Revive Thoughts. This episode is brought to you by the device and virtue podcast I'm Chris and I'm Adam on device and virtue Chris and I argue about the wrongs and rights

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