Every year we cover a new part of the life of Martin Luther and a sermon from that era. This year we cover the time a plague came to Wittenberg and a sermon he preached during that time.
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00:00 --> 00:03 [SPEAKER_02]: Revived thoughts is a production of Revived Studios.
00:08 --> 00:11 [SPEAKER_01]: This is Troy Angel and you're listening to Revived Thoughts.
00:21 --> 00:29 [SPEAKER_00]: It was not mere touching with her hands, the woman had touched him with her heart and firm reliance on his grace and omnipotence.
00:30 --> 00:36 [SPEAKER_02]: Every episode we bring you a different voice from history and a sermon that they delivered every year at the end of October.
00:36 --> 00:42 [SPEAKER_02]: We like to do a Martin Luther sermon to coordinate with what we now call Reformation Day.
00:43 --> 00:49 [SPEAKER_02]: This year we're going to 1527 in Wittenberg during the outbreak of a plague.
00:49 --> 00:53 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, who doesn't want a good episode at the outbreak of a plague, right?
00:55 --> 00:58 [SPEAKER_01]: I last year as Martin Luther at a set, I really enjoyed it, thought it was a really cool one.
00:58 --> 01:14 [SPEAKER_01]: It was about how Martin Luther came out of hiding, to preach this sermon, to, you know, what brought him out of hiding for two years, he had been hiding and translating the Bible, and when he heard about some false teachers and his hometown, it comes out, and he gives a great sermon, it changes everything, it's awesome.
01:15 --> 01:17 [SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, it kind of like, how do you top that, right?
01:17 --> 01:21 [SPEAKER_01]: But this one outbreak of a play, I really do think it's an also a really cool story.
01:22 --> 01:25 [SPEAKER_01]: We've been doing Martin Luther's Herman's every Reformation Day.
01:25 --> 01:29 [SPEAKER_01]: We put one out and we tell a little bit about Martin Luther's story and it's been really cool and fun.
01:29 --> 01:33 [SPEAKER_01]: Tradition we've done and I always thinking like are we going to have any content for now?
01:33 --> 01:35 [SPEAKER_01]: How do we top last year's episode?
01:35 --> 01:40 [SPEAKER_01]: What we're going to talk about Martin Luther, you know, this time we've done everything for the peasant revolt, how he died.
01:40 --> 01:45 [SPEAKER_01]: There was this crazy story about how if he died in a painful way, the Catholic thought that was a sign that God wasn't going to
01:46 --> 02:07 [SPEAKER_01]: I've done everything about his life and yet this episode on a plague I think is a unique part of a story we haven't told and I've actually already got plans for next year too so we're good for a little while but uh not now before you turn away and you go okay that sounds cool but there's no big plague happening in my life that's not actually what the story is the story is about a plague but there's an even deeper question I think inside of that and so we'll talk about that
02:08 --> 02:19 [SPEAKER_01]: In a little while and actually I was at the group of some ministry people and I asked them a question that was related to this episode and then led to a really lively interesting discussion That went on for about an hour.
02:20 --> 02:32 [SPEAKER_01]: So I was so You I'm giving you guys a freebie a question you might be able to use at your next You know small group or something like that too, but first Joel Let's look at some positive responses to revive thoughts first.
02:32 --> 02:34 [SPEAKER_01]: We got a five star an apple podcast.
02:34 --> 02:36 [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you We love five stars an apple podcast very helpful
02:37 --> 02:39 [SPEAKER_01]: The headline was love this show.
02:39 --> 02:52 [SPEAKER_01]: I love not only hearing the precious sermons, which I would have never heard otherwise But also the friendship discussion and banter between Joel and Troy listening is like being drawn into their friendship very sweet and wonderful from a doctor in Texas Hey, thank you very much.
02:52 --> 02:53 [SPEAKER_01]: We appreciate that's very nice.
02:53 --> 02:57 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I say Joel and I have been friends for I lost track.
02:57 --> 03:00 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know I actually don't I look 10 15 years I've got no it's way more intense.
03:00 --> 03:01 [SPEAKER_01]: It's gonna be like 15 years 15 years
03:03 --> 03:22 [SPEAKER_01]: 15 years this these months these are the we met back in Bible College my first year in Kansas City he and I started Bible College together at the same time and it's been a fun ride a friendship ever since and I look forward to seeing Joel every couple summers when we get to go back to the states so it's been a blessing we're glad that that friendship
03:23 --> 03:27 [SPEAKER_01]: can be seen income through these these jokes that we put in which very very good.
03:27 --> 03:31 [SPEAKER_01]: I think I'm quite high quality humor our real jokes and real friendship.
03:31 --> 03:32 [SPEAKER_01]: We don't just do it for the show.
03:33 --> 03:39 [SPEAKER_01]: We in fact a lot of times Joel and I talk for what like 30 minutes and they're like, oh, we need to actually start recording and like let's turn the recording on.
03:42 --> 03:56 [SPEAKER_01]: uh... on youtube we had uh... no not on youtube sorry patreon we had a listener say the reason they sent it for a patreon uh... love the show where by thoughts and looking forward to the deep dies hey thank you so much if you want to listen to some great deep dies hop on patreon while you can
03:57 --> 03:58 [SPEAKER_01]: We have a couple of patrons.
03:58 --> 04:06 [SPEAKER_01]: We've never released to the wider audience, Joan of Arc, the first crusade, which is really, if you listen to the Knights Templar and you like those, we'll part one and two of those.
04:06 --> 04:10 [SPEAKER_01]: We're great, but the prelude, the one that came out the original, first crusade.
04:10 --> 04:16 [SPEAKER_01]: We haven't released to the public and it's a really good one, and a Salem witch trials, which is our first ever deep dive and still one of my favorites.
04:16 --> 04:17 [SPEAKER_01]: I use that story in my classes.
04:17 --> 04:20 [SPEAKER_01]: The kids are always enthralled by that one.
04:20 --> 04:21 [SPEAKER_01]: So, uh,
04:21 --> 04:34 [SPEAKER_01]: Definitely definitely be sign up for the Patreon and you get access to the early ones Bleeding Kansas has not yet come out so if you want to listen to that It's you can do it on patreon as well and then Katie says on Spotify amazing think story Thank you.
04:34 --> 04:35 [SPEAKER_01]: I was so encouraged.
04:35 --> 04:38 [SPEAKER_01]: This is the Jerry McColley story that I put out.
04:38 --> 04:39 [SPEAKER_01]: I'll what a fun story.
04:39 --> 04:40 [SPEAKER_01]: I had no idea
04:40 --> 04:44 [SPEAKER_01]: going into that story that that guy was so important to church history in the world.
04:45 --> 04:52 [SPEAKER_01]: And so I was, I was just as excited and encouraged and surprised by that twist ending as you probably were too.
04:52 --> 04:55 [SPEAKER_01]: So he did, Jerry McCallick, very, very important man to the world.
04:56 --> 04:57 [SPEAKER_01]: Him and his wife did something.
04:57 --> 04:58 [SPEAKER_01]: It started something that,
04:58 --> 05:03 [SPEAKER_01]: We is very common today, very helpful today, it's helped many, many people and we didn't I had no idea it started with him.
05:03 --> 05:11 [SPEAKER_01]: I was just reading his story because I thought a book called the Life of a Riverboat, a Petty Riverboat, the Transformed was interesting.
05:11 --> 05:13 [SPEAKER_01]: I was like, what's a Riverboat thief?
05:13 --> 05:14 [SPEAKER_01]: I learned about this.
05:14 --> 05:23 [SPEAKER_01]: Go listen to that episode if you haven't, go hear what a Riverboat thief is and then hear about the state of the end because there's an amazing twist in the end that I had no idea and I was blown away.
05:23 --> 05:23 [SPEAKER_01]: So,
05:24 --> 05:24 [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, Katie.
05:24 --> 05:29 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm glad that encouraged you, especially because the dude goes back to jail a lot and has a lot of problems.
05:29 --> 05:31 [SPEAKER_01]: And then he's going to jail a lot, but he has like a lot of ups and downs.
05:31 --> 05:35 [SPEAKER_01]: He goes back to the bad life a couple of times before the Lord fully gets the hold of his heart.
05:35 --> 05:38 [SPEAKER_01]: And there was definitely a kind of, in part in the middle where I was like, it's he can be okay.
05:38 --> 05:42 [SPEAKER_01]: So the fact that he, the Lord uses him in such a mighty way is really cool.
05:43 --> 05:45 [SPEAKER_01]: So thank you for these very positive comments everybody.
05:45 --> 05:49 [SPEAKER_01]: Now let's get into Martin Luther, the main event of what you came for.
05:49 --> 05:53 [SPEAKER_01]: What is this reformation day and you're or it's probably not coming on reformation day.
05:53 --> 05:54 [SPEAKER_01]: But it's around that time.
05:54 --> 05:59 [SPEAKER_01]: You're ready for, you've been waiting for your yearly, your annual sermon with us and we are ready.
05:59 --> 06:00 [SPEAKER_01]: We're prepared.
06:01 --> 06:14 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, in this episode, we'll be jumping into how Martin Luther navigates ministering in an environment that is subject to the plague, but to catch you up to speed, like you don't already.
06:14 --> 06:20 [SPEAKER_02]: Like you don't already know everything about Martin Luther, but we want to set the scene like we do every episode.
06:20 --> 06:25 [SPEAKER_02]: He grew up with a wealthy family, his father wanted him to become a lawyer, but
06:26 --> 06:33 [SPEAKER_02]: There was a big lightning storm in which he was terrified and frightened and he swore his life to the church.
06:33 --> 06:41 [SPEAKER_02]: So he threw his life into that and became a priest and he was a very legalistic priest.
06:41 --> 06:48 [SPEAKER_02]: And had an interesting relationship with God, he saw God as too holy and unpleasable and he was working
06:49 --> 07:01 [SPEAKER_02]: his way through teaching the book of Romans and God really used it just to open up his eyes and open up his heart to the grace of God and to the gospel and it really changed everything.
07:01 --> 07:03 [SPEAKER_02]: It changed his outlook on God.
07:03 --> 07:04 [SPEAKER_02]: It changed his outlook on the church.
07:05 --> 07:12 [SPEAKER_02]: And it made him stand up for things that he thought that the Catholic Church was doing improperly doing wrong.
07:13 --> 07:24 [SPEAKER_02]: At this time, the Catholic Church controlled everything, you're wetting, you're burial, you're birth, you're tied, you're pilgrimages, you're education, the thrones, you're afterlife.
07:24 --> 07:29 [SPEAKER_02]: All of it was controlled by the church, and it was some pretty bad abuses of
07:30 --> 07:30 [SPEAKER_02]: power.
07:31 --> 07:47 [SPEAKER_02]: Martin Luther was successful through the grace of God to change the world through this movement that he started that we now called the great reformation and he did it not by swinging swords or raising armies but through prayer and Bible translation and writing books and preaching.
07:48 --> 07:56 [SPEAKER_01]: Joe, now last year we zoomed in on the moment I mentioned earlier, what brought him out of hiding after the diet of worms, the Catholic Church wanted him dead.
07:56 --> 08:05 [SPEAKER_01]: It was a law case, and he was basically one-to-man, and he got ambushed, but it was actually by his friend protecting him from a real ambush that was down the road that would kill them.
08:06 --> 08:09 [SPEAKER_01]: And he goes into a castle of a high to four to years.
08:09 --> 08:15 [SPEAKER_01]: And when he heard about a false teaching, he came out, precious, really prolific sermon, helped get his city back on track.
08:16 --> 08:16 [SPEAKER_01]: very powerful.
08:17 --> 08:18 [SPEAKER_01]: How do we move on from that?
08:18 --> 08:25 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, a couple years later, about five years later, the plate comes to that same town that he once preached that powerful sermon in just few years down the road.
08:25 --> 08:30 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, the back death is an easy thing to get kind of, we could get caught just talking about that too long.
08:30 --> 08:32 [SPEAKER_01]: We have covered it on episodes before.
08:32 --> 08:34 [SPEAKER_01]: very early episode in the catalog.
08:34 --> 08:38 [SPEAKER_01]: We did an episode on Tendale, pretty cool guy, who had interactions with it.
08:38 --> 08:42 [SPEAKER_01]: We've mentioned it on our London Fire 1666 deep dive.
08:42 --> 08:47 [SPEAKER_01]: We mentioned it on our the Joan of Arc deep dive and the Patreon vault.
08:47 --> 08:50 [SPEAKER_01]: The play comes up a lot in history, so we mentioned it a lot as well.
08:51 --> 08:54 [SPEAKER_01]: But we know most of you are going to say, like, look, it's interesting.
08:54 --> 08:59 [SPEAKER_01]: Plague is cool if you're a history lover or you just like good stories or you just like people who overcoming the odds, that's great.
08:59 --> 09:03 [SPEAKER_01]: But if you're an average person who's listening and going, yeah, but I mean, you know, it's the plague doesn't affect me today, right?
09:04 --> 09:05 [SPEAKER_01]: We don't have that going on here.
09:05 --> 09:06 [SPEAKER_01]: How about this question?
09:06 --> 09:08 [SPEAKER_01]: Ever been in this situation where you had to decide,
09:09 --> 09:14 [SPEAKER_01]: a hard decision where where staying might not go well for you, right?
09:14 --> 09:15 [SPEAKER_01]: I think everybody can relate to that.
09:16 --> 09:22 [SPEAKER_01]: The hard decision maybe to risk your life, risk your kids' lives, risk your family life, something like that, but you have to do it for the gospel.
09:23 --> 09:24 [SPEAKER_01]: That's something that can hit home.
09:24 --> 09:28 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe not everybody has done that, but that's something many people have had to experience.
09:28 --> 09:34 [SPEAKER_01]: Do I stay somewhere where it might be hard for me and my family, but I think it's what the Lord wants me to do or do I move on?
09:34 --> 09:36 [SPEAKER_01]: And this led to the question,
09:37 --> 09:46 [SPEAKER_01]: That Joel is about to give you that I threw at a group of people and it led to a really if I wrote the script before I actually had this conversation So I might interrupt you here Joel, but get us going.
09:47 --> 09:47 [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, boy.
09:47 --> 09:48 [SPEAKER_02]: Awesome.
09:48 --> 09:48 [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
09:48 --> 09:59 [SPEAKER_02]: So five years after Martin Luther's dramatic return to the pulpit His church and the city began to hear rumors of death in the area.
09:59 --> 10:05 [SPEAKER_02]: Dun, dun, dun, dun There was a fellow theologian and a pastor
10:05 --> 10:15 [SPEAKER_02]: that reached out to Lutheran and asked what his opinion is on whether pastors should flee, or if it's a sin to flee from the plague, right?
10:15 --> 10:16 [SPEAKER_02]: Like, the plague is coming.
10:17 --> 10:18 [SPEAKER_02]: Should we get out of here?
10:18 --> 10:20 [SPEAKER_02]: Or do we have a duty to stay?
10:22 --> 10:26 [SPEAKER_01]: And that was the question I asked the table of people and I got to a very interesting discussion.
10:26 --> 10:29 [SPEAKER_01]: Now I had this conversation with people living overseas.
10:29 --> 10:39 [SPEAKER_01]: So they see different danger very differently than people I think back in the States too, because I mean, many of them are like, well, look, we see people go to tribes that people who've never been reached before.
10:39 --> 10:42 [SPEAKER_01]: We see people go to places where health care is not the greatest.
10:43 --> 10:48 [SPEAKER_01]: So their answer, I highly, I bet she was probably very different with very young people too.
10:48 --> 10:59 [SPEAKER_01]: I had young people who were much older, having this discussion at the table watching someone with almost 50 years experience, they had lost her husband, but stayed overseas.
10:59 --> 11:01 [SPEAKER_01]: Anyway, I watched her have a discussion.
11:01 --> 11:15 [SPEAKER_01]: with like a 16 year old girl and both of them were it was very very fascinating to watch these people have these discussions while overseas but it was it was interesting and I wonder I just wonder how different that conversation would be back in America at a small group near you.
11:15 --> 11:22 [SPEAKER_01]: So you what would you say the answer to that question is, you know, jaw off though it's you what do you think is it a sin to flee from a deadly plague?
11:24 --> 11:26 [SPEAKER_02]: Are you asking me or you're asking me what Martin Luther says?
11:27 --> 11:28 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, that's new Joel.
11:28 --> 11:29 [SPEAKER_02]: What do you think?
11:29 --> 11:30 [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, you'll see here in the Joel.
11:30 --> 11:34 [SPEAKER_02]: I think we're definitely going to give a pretty good, uh, none of you, Joel.
11:34 --> 11:38 [SPEAKER_02]: I know, but I'm already, I've already read with Martin Luther says.
11:38 --> 11:39 [SPEAKER_02]: And I think it's pretty good.
11:39 --> 11:40 [SPEAKER_02]: That's what I want to do.
11:40 --> 11:42 [SPEAKER_01]: I actually think it's funny.
11:42 --> 11:44 [SPEAKER_01]: Somebody wrote down like when I found this article.
11:44 --> 11:44 [SPEAKER_01]: Very unique.
11:44 --> 11:53 [SPEAKER_01]: It's not an article that goes around ever, but when somebody, when somebody, I'm actually going to have my students read it, but by this point, they would have already read it, but somebody was like, this probably is most nuanced.
11:54 --> 11:56 [SPEAKER_01]: This, you know, Martin Luther is known for being a hammer.
11:56 --> 12:02 [SPEAKER_01]: Like he's not known for, uh, for given like a gentle, you know, both sides have good opinion.
12:02 --> 12:07 [SPEAKER_01]: Like this is they were like, this is like the most, you know, nuanced take you'll ever find from him.
12:08 --> 12:09 [SPEAKER_02]: I thought it was pretty balanced.
12:09 --> 12:11 [SPEAKER_02]: So there's a lot of quotes here.
12:11 --> 12:12 [SPEAKER_02]: I think I'm just going to summarize.
12:12 --> 12:16 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to summarize and then tell you tell me if I nailed the essence of the quotes here.
12:16 --> 12:30 [SPEAKER_02]: Essentially, he's saying all of the spiritual leaders, so your pastors, they need to have the heart of service and the heart of being willing and able to minister to
12:31 --> 12:33 [SPEAKER_02]: Anyone that is there.
12:33 --> 12:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Anyone that needs a spiritual leader you need to be available for and you need to make your piece with that and you trust that the Lord will protect you or not, but that's okay because it's your job in your duty to be an available spiritual leader for everyone that needs or could want a spiritual leader that being said
12:56 --> 12:57 [SPEAKER_02]: we don't need redundancies.
12:57 --> 13:08 [SPEAKER_02]: So if there's already somebody there, then you can, if there's already someone there that can minister to the community, then you can skip town and get to a safer spot.
13:09 --> 13:19 [SPEAKER_02]: As long as that's not the main reason you're like as long as you're not bitter of heart, like if you're not trying to get out of there as to save your own life, well I guess you
13:23 --> 13:26 [SPEAKER_02]: Uh, you would be okay with staying if you needed to.
13:26 --> 13:27 [SPEAKER_02]: I guess was it was it.
13:27 --> 13:31 [SPEAKER_02]: You got to be okay with staying if you need to, but if you don't need to, you don't have to.
13:31 --> 13:33 [SPEAKER_02]: Is essentially, is essentially what you had.
13:34 --> 13:39 [SPEAKER_01]: So he made a good parallel to he used an analogy of a fire, basically.
13:39 --> 13:42 [SPEAKER_01]: He said, look, if your neighbor's house is on fire.
13:43 --> 13:50 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's dangerous, but how can you love your neighbor if you don't go pick up a water bucket and throw a water at the fire, right?
13:50 --> 14:02 [SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know that you could get burned, trying to run into the building and saving him, but how can you be a good Christian, a good neighbor, a good loving, a savior, you know, of course, within reason, like if you're an elderly and firm person, you probably aren't going to be
14:03 --> 14:26 [SPEAKER_01]: you know much help if you're in the way and if you're you know again young child same similar problem right um but if your neighbor's house is on fire and you do nothing how can you say that you're a loving Christian that loves his neighbor like Christ loves the church if you do nothing but he also said look if you get to the neighbor's house with your bucket of water and you already have 40 neighbors there putting buckets to the water it's the the task is covered you're not needed
14:27 --> 14:32 [SPEAKER_01]: You're not sinful for you to go home and say, well, I didn't actually really, they already had a handled.
14:32 --> 14:35 [SPEAKER_01]: There's not much I can do, so we're going to get out of here.
14:36 --> 14:37 [SPEAKER_01]: And he's like, that's the same way to look at the blood.
14:37 --> 14:39 [SPEAKER_01]: He's like, look, if you're a pastor, your people need you.
14:40 --> 14:44 [SPEAKER_01]: So it's pretty, it's pretty, he's like, it's very difficult for me to say, a pastor should leave.
14:44 --> 14:46 [SPEAKER_01]: This is the time your people probably need you most.
14:46 --> 14:47 [SPEAKER_01]: You can't show fear.
14:47 --> 14:49 [SPEAKER_01]: The people need to see that you love God.
14:50 --> 14:57 [SPEAKER_01]: And he said, if you're a mayor, a councilman, a judge, like a politician, this is the moment you were elected for.
14:57 --> 14:58 [SPEAKER_01]: Once again, you really can't leave town.
14:58 --> 15:02 [SPEAKER_01]: You, this is, if you're not gonna stay through this, what good are you?
15:02 --> 15:08 [SPEAKER_01]: Like this is the thing you were, you were called to do, is to stand up and be a good Christian leader during the time of crisis.
15:08 --> 15:16 [SPEAKER_01]: But it's like, but everyone else, if you look around and see everyone else has things handled and no neighbors, houses are burning without the buckets of water.
15:16 --> 15:22 [SPEAKER_01]: If everyone's taking care of the sick and you don't really serve any purpose there, it's not sinful for you to flee.
15:22 --> 15:27 [SPEAKER_01]: As long as the fleeing from death isn't overwriting, your desire to serve God.
15:27 --> 15:32 [SPEAKER_01]: So you've checked in, you've seen that people are being taken care of, you don't serve a big purpose.
15:32 --> 15:35 [SPEAKER_01]: You're not an expert on the medicine and stuff like that.
15:36 --> 15:59 [SPEAKER_01]: yeah okay it's probably okay for you to leave town and keep your family say somewhere with it again with an attitude towards but i'm still willing to serve if i'm needed or called upon kind of thing and i was like that's a pretty good it's pretty good there's two there's two there's two little bit of room for uh nuanced arguing in there but at broadly speaking i do feel like it checks a lot of boxes
15:59 --> 16:03 [SPEAKER_01]: It's a good, I think this, you could easily turn this article into its own revived conversation.
16:04 --> 16:11 [SPEAKER_01]: And because, because not because, again, oh, so people say they can know what to do during a flight, but because it goes so much further than a flight doesn't it?
16:11 --> 16:14 [SPEAKER_01]: It really, it really gets to the idea of like, well, how do you value your life?
16:15 --> 16:20 [SPEAKER_01]: And how much should you value your life over valuing, loving your neighbor and the gospel?
16:20 --> 16:22 [SPEAKER_01]: And again, the conversation I listened to,
16:22 --> 16:29 [SPEAKER_01]: with people who live overseas, I bet you is probably and have very different metrics, very different way of viewing it than people who don't.
16:29 --> 16:30 [SPEAKER_01]: So it was just very interesting to me.
16:31 --> 16:34 [SPEAKER_01]: I found the conversation fast and I thought other people probably would too.
16:34 --> 16:46 [SPEAKER_01]: So though that a small group, share that with some people around you, put it up on social media, tell me, heard it from us, of course, and I was listening to Bob's Martin Luther when, but you know, I'm very curious what answers you'll get.
16:46 --> 16:48 [SPEAKER_01]: It might challenge you, what do you, where do you land on?
16:48 --> 16:49 [SPEAKER_01]: So,
16:49 --> 16:52 [SPEAKER_01]: Not long after, Luther deals with this plague is also coming to his town.
16:53 --> 16:57 [SPEAKER_01]: Whittenberg begins to empty, people are fearful as death is going into home after home.
16:58 --> 17:03 [SPEAKER_01]: The university itself, that Luther famously has been teaching after years, relocates.
17:04 --> 17:10 [SPEAKER_01]: And Luther is encouraged to flee, not only is he encouraged to flee, but actually a local ruler ordered Luther in his wife to leave.
17:10 --> 17:10 [SPEAKER_01]: They said,
17:10 --> 17:13 [SPEAKER_01]: you you're too important you have to go.
17:13 --> 17:16 [SPEAKER_01]: And so to stay is actually to this obeying authority.
17:16 --> 17:20 [SPEAKER_01]: So if you're looking for an excuse, I mean Luther can say Roman's 13 right got submit to my authority.
17:20 --> 17:21 [SPEAKER_01]: My authority told me to leave.
17:21 --> 17:23 [SPEAKER_01]: So I got to go right, but he doesn't.
17:24 --> 17:29 [SPEAKER_01]: Luther and his wife Catherine run a dormitory of sorts during this time and they were ground zero.
17:30 --> 17:32 [SPEAKER_01]: We're basically a hospital for people who were sick.
17:32 --> 17:34 [SPEAKER_01]: So people were brought to them.
17:40 --> 17:42 [SPEAKER_01]: The Reformation's only a decade in.
17:42 --> 17:45 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm writing lots of important books and I'm preaching important sermons.
17:45 --> 17:46 [SPEAKER_01]: My theology is really important.
17:47 --> 17:50 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I'm wasted on these sick people, right?
17:50 --> 17:52 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm too important to the movement.
17:52 --> 17:55 [SPEAKER_01]: You can't have me getting the Black Death right now of all times.
17:55 --> 17:57 [SPEAKER_01]: We've got just too much going on, right?
17:57 --> 17:59 [SPEAKER_01]: He could have done any of those things.
17:59 --> 18:01 [SPEAKER_01]: And he might have even said he was justified to do them.
18:01 --> 18:26 [SPEAKER_01]: But he didn't do those things and said him and his pregnant wife went to the day-to-day work And a hot summer carrying for sick people But dangerous life-threatening work But it's probably saved some lives And if nothing else it showed the hands and feet of the gospel even if I don't because of the block that wasn't a very high survivability rate Many of them probably didn't make it they might have seen a few people survive, but most people didn't so they would probably the last
18:27 --> 18:28 [SPEAKER_01]: loving tender moments.
18:28 --> 18:32 [SPEAKER_01]: The last opportunity you should have showed the gospel to a lot of different people.
18:32 --> 18:34 [SPEAKER_01]: And think of how important it is.
18:34 --> 18:46 [SPEAKER_01]: It is a distress to say there might be some people in heaven that are there because Martin Luther and his wife shared the gospel with them, you know, in those last night, it's very possible, I think, but there might be.
18:56 --> 19:02 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, with everything going on to Martin Luther's wife, Kath Rina, had good reason to avoid this work.
19:03 --> 19:03 [SPEAKER_02]: She was pregnant.
19:04 --> 19:09 [SPEAKER_02]: And any pregnant woman knows the risks in the fears that are associated with it.
19:09 --> 19:11 [SPEAKER_02]: And now imagine doing that during the black.
19:12 --> 19:22 [SPEAKER_02]: death, where in your own living room, day in and day out, guests with all type of symptoms are around you and coming and occupying your space.
19:22 --> 19:27 [SPEAKER_02]: When the black death came, we often hear about like boils on people's skin,
19:28 --> 19:30 [SPEAKER_02]: But boils were just a part of it.
19:30 --> 19:37 [SPEAKER_02]: There were all types of bodily symptoms, sweat, vomit, blood, people dying, like death, dead bodies.
19:38 --> 19:47 [SPEAKER_02]: In your literal house, imagine, imagine they're being dead bodies in your home of people that have come and while you're trying to help them have passed away.
19:48 --> 19:50 [SPEAKER_02]: Uh, and it's not just your house, but it's everywhere.
19:50 --> 20:07 [SPEAKER_02]: Luther describes the scene he says, quote, everything that came out of their bodies, breath, blood, pus is smelled awful, and quote, and you don't have to think long to picture the amount of chaos and fear and panic that it would bring to a society.
20:07 --> 20:13 [SPEAKER_02]: Luther describes the town, smelling in the air, he said, the air wreaked of the dead and the dying.
20:13 --> 20:15 [SPEAKER_02]: I imagine going out,
20:15 --> 20:29 [SPEAKER_02]: in your neighborhood and just the smell of decaying flesh just you know you sometimes you smell dead animal like a roadkill and you catch it with that imagine that just being ever you can't go to the market there's just the smell of death over the whole city
20:30 --> 20:38 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and it just, you know, you go to the market, you're buying food, because they still have to go the east, which is you would want to hide in your house and see nobody.
20:38 --> 20:41 [SPEAKER_01]: You still got to go to food, you still got to get food from the market.
20:41 --> 20:42 [SPEAKER_01]: You still got to interact with people.
20:42 --> 20:45 [SPEAKER_01]: You still need cloth from the merchants like you can't.
20:46 --> 20:47 [SPEAKER_01]: completely cut it off.
20:47 --> 20:51 [SPEAKER_01]: It's a horrible thing and maybe it's why it's coming out the end of October.
20:51 --> 20:52 [SPEAKER_01]: It's a good episode of timing for it.
20:52 --> 20:54 [SPEAKER_01]: But it's a horrible, horrible time.
20:54 --> 20:55 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, there you go.
20:55 --> 20:58 [SPEAKER_01]: But it is a really, it is a tremendously bad thing.
20:58 --> 21:01 [SPEAKER_01]: And doctors couldn't really do much as a helpless situation.
21:01 --> 21:08 [SPEAKER_01]: I here's another quote, Luther said, there were so many dead throughout the city who were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs began dragging them out and devouring their bodies.
21:08 --> 21:30 [SPEAKER_01]: and that's another horrifying thing you would have seen is some of the people that you knew probably you they lived in the village with you you'd seen them around town and uh the dogs are taking them up I mean just okay we won't go any I know there's a family with kids that'll say I do apologize but I but I also want you this is the picture of what they're going through imagine preaching and teaching and
21:32 --> 21:35 [SPEAKER_01]: your what your pregnant wife is and they're working in that situation.
21:35 --> 21:39 [SPEAKER_01]: Now imagine all of that and imagine not running away.
21:40 --> 21:41 [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine not running for the hills.
21:41 --> 21:46 [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine choosing to stand by and reaching the gospel and not letting that fear get to you.
21:47 --> 21:50 [SPEAKER_01]: That to me, that that's something that a lot of us could learn from.
21:52 --> 21:58 [SPEAKER_01]: So he says, Luther says during this time very well, by God's decree, the enemy has sent us a poison and deadly air.
21:58 --> 22:07 [SPEAKER_01]: Therefore, I will ask God mercifully to protect us, then I will fumigate, help people where my presence are help, purify the air, administer medicine and take it.
22:07 --> 22:13 [SPEAKER_01]: I will avoid places in people where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and per chance, in fact, include others.
22:14 --> 22:16 [SPEAKER_01]: And so, cause our death as a result of my own negligence.
22:17 --> 22:18 [SPEAKER_01]: If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me.
22:18 --> 22:21 [SPEAKER_01]: And I have done what he has expected of me, so I am not responsible.
22:21 --> 22:23 [SPEAKER_01]: for either my own death or the death of others.
22:23 --> 22:28 [SPEAKER_01]: If my neighbor needs me, however, I will not avoid place or persons, but we'll go freely as stated.
22:29 --> 22:34 [SPEAKER_01]: See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it's neither brash nor full-hardy and does not tempt the Lord.
22:34 --> 22:35 [SPEAKER_01]: What a good attitude.
22:35 --> 22:41 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, he's not going to intentionally challenge God and go where he's not needed.
22:41 --> 22:43 [SPEAKER_01]: But he's also not going to hide.
22:43 --> 22:44 [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to do what he needs to do.
22:44 --> 22:46 [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to continue living his life.
22:46 --> 22:49 [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be there for his people.
22:50 --> 22:58 [SPEAKER_01]: He even added that if Christ or his mother had been sick, every person would cut, if you knew Jesus was sick somewhere, wouldn't you run and go get him a cup of water and do whatever Jesus needed to help him with a fever?
22:59 --> 23:05 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, if your neighbor is sick and you fail to love them, you fail to love the least of these, you fail to love Christ, right?
23:06 --> 23:07 [SPEAKER_01]: And so you're failing Christ.
23:07 --> 23:09 [SPEAKER_01]: So go running to help your neighbor who needs you.
23:10 --> 23:12 [SPEAKER_01]: and I think this is just such a good attitude.
23:12 --> 23:18 [SPEAKER_01]: We can sometimes, we live in a world, people literally say to each other when they head out, some of us stay safe, right?
23:18 --> 23:20 [SPEAKER_01]: We live in a world of safety.
23:20 --> 23:30 [SPEAKER_01]: We live in a world of being safe, if never doing anything dangerous, if you put anybody in your life in this, and the slightest amount of risk you're considered a bad, a bad parent, a bad husband, a bad whatever you are, right?
23:32 --> 23:33 [SPEAKER_01]: But that's not the attitude I see in the Gospel.
23:33 --> 23:35 [SPEAKER_01]: That's not the attitude I see in the Bible.
23:35 --> 23:36 [SPEAKER_01]: That's not the attitude Martin Luther saw.
23:37 --> 23:42 [SPEAKER_01]: And his attitude was the exact, you know, opposite in the sense of if my neighbor needs me.
23:42 --> 23:43 [SPEAKER_01]: And I don't love them.
23:43 --> 23:47 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm supposed to love the least of these Christ to said that I win that I give you a cup of water.
23:47 --> 23:48 [SPEAKER_01]: When were you thirsty?
23:48 --> 23:53 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, when you gave it to these people, when you visited them, that's when I did it for you.
23:54 --> 23:57 [SPEAKER_01]: And so if you're not willing to do that, then you have failed, right?
23:57 --> 23:58 [SPEAKER_01]: You have not done your part.
23:59 --> 24:05 [SPEAKER_01]: And what I'm not saying, if you're going, oh, so, you know, the guys that provide thoughts are saying, they'll put yourself in danger in harm's weight.
24:05 --> 24:10 [SPEAKER_01]: That's not what Luther said, but he is saying, can't let your fear keep you from loving the least of these.
24:10 --> 24:11 [SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's a good word for people.
24:12 --> 24:18 [SPEAKER_01]: And the modern world, where we can very much make ourselves very safe, very comfortable, very much keep ourselves out of harm.
24:18 --> 24:20 [SPEAKER_01]: And you can never keep yourself out of truly out of harm's weight.
24:20 --> 24:22 [SPEAKER_01]: God can certainly say it all, but where we can live,
24:22 --> 24:24 [SPEAKER_01]: as if we can make ourselves immune to danger.
24:24 --> 24:28 [SPEAKER_01]: I think sometimes it could need a message that that's not what God has called us to do.
24:30 --> 24:34 [SPEAKER_01]: He also encouraged that people not to be brash, he used to get sense of humor, he said use medicine.
24:34 --> 24:40 [SPEAKER_01]: He also said to use jokes to keep your spirits up, which I'm sure was very difficult during that time too.
24:41 --> 24:49 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to know some important people in church history and he decided to stay put to go through it and to risk his life when he could have very easily said, I'm too important for this.
24:50 --> 24:54 [SPEAKER_01]: He and his wife did the dirty business of caring for the sick and getting in there and doing what had to be done and they weren't alone.
24:55 --> 24:56 [SPEAKER_01]: They have a trip.
24:56 --> 24:58 [SPEAKER_01]: This is a tradition that goes through many a process.
24:58 --> 25:01 [SPEAKER_01]: I remember J.C. Ryle and Typhoid fever was burning through his congregants.
25:02 --> 25:02 [SPEAKER_01]: He went to their houses.
25:03 --> 25:08 [SPEAKER_01]: He took his finger stuck into your water and would stick his finger down their throat to make sure that they got water.
25:08 --> 25:19 [SPEAKER_01]: A.H. carrying for the poor, carrying for the sick at risk to your own life, David Brainer, going to the Native Americans, the Indians while he had tuberculosis to
25:21 --> 25:33 [SPEAKER_01]: that is the history that we Christians who do not fear death and let's not forget the Roman the early Roman days of persecution where the church was famous for bringing the gospel to those who were dying to plague when no one else would in saving their lives.
25:33 --> 25:39 [SPEAKER_01]: Many people attribute the fast growth of the church to that desire to care for the sick and that is something we've done.
25:40 --> 25:46 [SPEAKER_01]: London did it during 1660s when the Black Plague came the Puritans went in and shared the gospel with many and took care of the sick.
25:46 --> 25:48 [SPEAKER_01]: It's what we do and you may say again, well,
25:51 --> 25:56 [SPEAKER_01]: who are in need by the gospel, and there are people around the world who people are scared.
25:56 --> 26:01 [SPEAKER_01]: It's dangerous to go to them, but they need the gospel, and we have to continue to do it.
26:01 --> 26:07 [SPEAKER_01]: I think we cannot let safety and a desire for safety this, keep us from sharing.
26:07 --> 26:10 [SPEAKER_01]: Keep us from being faithful to God.
26:11 --> 26:17 [SPEAKER_01]: By the way, the child of Martin Luther and his wife was born in December of that year, safe and sound.
26:18 --> 26:19 [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't run away from Loving his neighbor.
26:19 --> 26:22 [SPEAKER_01]: He had every reason not to, so let us not do the same thing.
26:22 --> 26:23 [SPEAKER_01]: Let us love our neighbor too.
26:23 --> 26:25 [SPEAKER_01]: Now let's listen to a sermon, two miracles.
26:25 --> 26:28 [SPEAKER_01]: That was preached during that era.
26:28 --> 26:31 [SPEAKER_01]: This was preached, during this time of the black play.
26:31 --> 26:32 [SPEAKER_01]: Pretty cool time to hear a sermon.
26:48 --> 26:59 [SPEAKER_00]: While Jesus spaked these things under them, we hold their came a certain ruler and worshiped him saying, my daughter is even now dead, but common lay thy hand upon her and she shall live.
27:00 --> 27:03 [SPEAKER_00]: And Jesus arose in followed him and so did his disciples.
27:04 --> 27:14 [SPEAKER_00]: And behold a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood, 12 years, came behind him, and touched the hymn of his garment, for she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment
27:18 --> 27:23 [SPEAKER_00]: When he saw her, he said daughter, be of good comfort, by faith that made the whole.
27:24 --> 27:26 [SPEAKER_00]: And the woman was made whole from that hour.
27:26 --> 27:35 [SPEAKER_00]: And when Jesus came onto the rulers' house, he saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto them, give place, for the maid is not dead but sleepeth.
27:36 --> 27:37 [SPEAKER_00]: And they laughed him to scorn.
27:38 --> 27:43 [SPEAKER_00]: But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
27:47 --> 27:48 [SPEAKER_00]: in all the land.
27:50 --> 27:52 [SPEAKER_00]: So far the text, Luther Sermon.
27:53 --> 27:57 [SPEAKER_00]: In today's Gospel you hear of two miracles, both of which are great and excellent.
27:58 --> 28:07 [SPEAKER_00]: The first is of the woman whose faith in the Lord Jesus is so firm that she hoped to be healed at once if she could but touch the him of his garment secretly without his knowledge.
28:07 --> 28:13 [SPEAKER_00]: The other is of a certain ruler who also believes that the Lord is able to restore his daughter to life though she was already dead.
28:17 --> 28:29 [SPEAKER_00]: that it may serve as an example for us, because faith in Christ accomplishes such great things in order that thereby we may be encouraged gladly to approach him in whom no one has ever trusted in vain.
28:30 --> 28:36 [SPEAKER_00]: In the first place, we have here the example of the poor woman who was afflicted with a dangerous and severe disease.
28:37 --> 28:42 [SPEAKER_00]: St. Mark mentions, especially that she had suffered many things of many physicians, and
28:46 --> 28:55 [SPEAKER_00]: The miracle is that, after so long a time of effort, she is speedily healed by the Lord, though she does nothing more than what she had heard of some others who had but touched his garment.
28:56 --> 28:59 [SPEAKER_00]: She is convinced that she, also, will be healed.
29:00 --> 29:06 [SPEAKER_00]: Presses to the crowd to the Lord, does not even ask him, but thinks in great humility of obtaining her object secretly.
29:07 --> 29:09 [SPEAKER_00]: She therefore touches his garment.
29:09 --> 29:13 [SPEAKER_00]: All that once her condition was changed for the better as she had believed, the issue of
29:16 --> 29:25 [SPEAKER_00]: for the healing of which she had tried many things and spent all she had, but all in vain and to her own great injury, as St. Mark says, she was nothing better but rather grew worse.
29:26 --> 29:33 [SPEAKER_00]: Here we must notice particularly that the Lord does not want us so to steal help from him, that no one shall know anything of it.
29:33 --> 29:36 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore he asked, who touched my clothes?
29:36 --> 29:40 [SPEAKER_00]: To the apostle, this question seems to be a foolish one because the people were crowding very
29:45 --> 29:53 [SPEAKER_00]: It was not mere touching with her hands, the woman had touched him with her heart, and firm reliance on his grace and omnipotence.
29:54 --> 29:58 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, a special virtue had gone out from him, which he felt.
29:58 --> 30:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Such touching the Lord, for our example, does not want to remain secret.
30:03 --> 30:11 [SPEAKER_00]: With his question, he presses upon the woman, and she has to come out and to be seen and acknowledge before everyone publicly all that had occurred in her case, in order that
30:15 --> 30:19 [SPEAKER_00]: This is the most agreeable and the highest service in which he is well-pleased.
30:19 --> 30:27 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, he also praises the woman and addresses her cordially saying, daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith, that made thee whole.
30:28 --> 30:32 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, the disciples themselves must confess that the question of the Lord was not vain.
30:33 --> 30:39 [SPEAKER_00]: It was not a common but a peculiar touching which concerns the Lord and us all.
30:40 --> 30:42 [SPEAKER_00]: Yet it seems singular language which the Lord hears uses.
30:43 --> 30:45 [SPEAKER_00]: He confesses that virtue is gone out of him.
30:46 --> 31:00 [SPEAKER_00]: As now the woman stands before him and acknowledges the benefit bestowed by him, he gives no indication that a virtue has gone out from him, but describes all to the faith of the woman, although not she herself, but the Lord has helped her.
31:00 --> 31:10 [SPEAKER_00]: But the Lord observes this manner, in order to inform us thereby, how well pleased is he is, if you expect from him everything good, and ask him for help.
31:13 --> 31:21 [SPEAKER_00]: See to it, and learn to believe confidently no matter in what need you are that I will indeed more readily help you than you are prepared to ask.
31:22 --> 31:26 [SPEAKER_00]: I am much more ready to deliver you from death than you are to desire life.
31:27 --> 31:33 [SPEAKER_00]: This he proves by the fact, it is easy to obtain from him the healing power so much desired.
31:33 --> 31:37 [SPEAKER_00]: This example should teach us to believe and to expect everything
31:40 --> 31:49 [SPEAKER_00]: But the fact is, we hear it preached, we are told of it at home, and perceive the miracles which he continues to perform every day, and yet we are very slow to believe.
31:49 --> 31:55 [SPEAKER_00]: Whoever sees a cellar and grain refilled may believe, and yet doubts whether he will have enough to eat or to drink for a year.
31:56 --> 32:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Those who enjoy good health believe that God can help them, but when we are exposed to poverty and disease, then our faith is at an end.
32:03 --> 32:07 [SPEAKER_00]: Then we do nothing but complain and cry and imagine help to be found nowhere,
32:07 --> 32:11 [SPEAKER_00]: though we are informed every day that God will be gracious unto us and help us through Christ.
32:12 --> 32:15 [SPEAKER_00]: How does such conduct of ours correspond to that of the woman?
32:16 --> 32:29 [SPEAKER_00]: Who perhaps has heard of Christ in his miracles, but once or twice and yet approaches him with a faith so strong that if he had been away above all the heavens, she would have torn them a sunder and brought him down and compelled him to help her.
32:30 --> 32:35 [SPEAKER_00]: For as we have said, he cannot refuse help if he is asked earnestly and in true faith.
32:37 --> 32:43 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore we are indeed unhappy people, because we are so well provided with the Word of God and yet are so very slow to believe.
32:44 --> 32:47 [SPEAKER_00]: This is the fault of the devil and of our shameful old Adam.
32:48 --> 32:55 [SPEAKER_00]: For if we have had an earnest desire for righteousness and salvation and all that we need, we would believe in the Lord Jesus and hope for everything through him.
32:56 --> 32:59 [SPEAKER_00]: For faith, as you have heard, can never be put to shame.
33:00 --> 33:04 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore the Lord extolves faith very highly saying, thy faith has made thee whole.
33:05 --> 33:18 [SPEAKER_00]: The same faith in Christ will also help us raise us from death unto life, conquer the devil to spell our sins, and give us eternal life, all of which, though it is done by Christ, is nevertheless ascribed to faith.
33:19 --> 33:21 [SPEAKER_00]: For it can never be obtained without faith.
33:22 --> 33:29 [SPEAKER_00]: Even Christ, the Holy Sacraments and the Word of God, or the preaching of the gospel, cannot help or benefit us without faith.
33:30 --> 33:32 [SPEAKER_00]: Faith must do it, as it will never be done.
33:36 --> 33:43 [SPEAKER_00]: The other miracle that is wrought on the little girl who, as St. Luke tells us, had lived as long as the woman had been afflicted with disease.
33:43 --> 33:47 [SPEAKER_00]: Nobody expected anything else but that the maiden would surely have to die.
33:47 --> 33:51 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore all preparations usually made in such cases had been completed.
33:51 --> 33:54 [SPEAKER_00]: The menstruals were at hand to perform their part of the funeral service.
33:54 --> 34:01 [SPEAKER_00]: The Jews had no church bells as we have, instead of tolling the bells at funerals as we do, they had their menstruals to sing funeral hymns.
34:02 --> 34:03 [SPEAKER_00]: A great many people had met for the burial.
34:04 --> 34:09 [SPEAKER_00]: And there was a great throng of those coming and going as as usual at the death of a prominent person.
34:10 --> 34:22 [SPEAKER_00]: When all had despaired of the maiden and no ground for human hope was left, seeing that the child was dead, the father is taken by the singular thought that if you only had Christ, his deceased daughter might be made alive again.
34:23 --> 34:30 [SPEAKER_00]: For this his words indicate, he worshipped him saying, my daughter is even now dead, but common lay thy hand upon her and she shall live.
34:33 --> 34:40 [SPEAKER_00]: that the ruler had come to Jesus when his daughter was at the point of death, yet they inform us that she was dead by the time Christ entered the house.
34:41 --> 34:50 [SPEAKER_00]: They also are careful to inform us that the Father continued to believe, notwithstanding, at a trust in the Lord that He would help and restore her to life.
34:51 --> 34:54 [SPEAKER_00]: Who in all His life as seen or heard more singular people than these?
34:55 --> 34:59 [SPEAKER_00]: The woman who had to despair of all human help is determined to be well if only she
35:02 --> 35:09 [SPEAKER_00]: leased him of his garment, and she has not disappointed in her expectation as she had believed so is her experience.
35:09 --> 35:16 [SPEAKER_00]: And the father, whose daughter was dead, begins to think if the Lord would only lay his hands upon his deceased daughter she would live again.
35:18 --> 35:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, you may rejoice the laying on of hands might accomplish something if we had to deal with a common sleep and not with bitter death itself.
35:25 --> 35:30 [SPEAKER_00]: In this case no hands, no shaking, no push, no calling, nor anything else will be of any
35:31 --> 35:40 [SPEAKER_00]: It will all be in vain, so reason will, and must argue, it cannot do otherwise, but the ruler thought differently, else he would have stayed at home and not run after Christ.
35:41 --> 35:46 [SPEAKER_00]: Here we see once again how well the Lord is pleased with such faith, which is altogether foolishness to reason.
35:47 --> 35:59 [SPEAKER_00]: For although he had an important work to do and was led into a spirit of discussion with the disciples of John, when he perceived this faith and confidence he arises at once to follow the ruler and to do as the man believed.
36:00 --> 36:15 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, when he entered the house and saw all the preparations for the burial, he is afraid that the father beholding the lamentation in the example and the unbelief of others might be discouraged and hints at once speaks words of comfort to him and orders the people who had need for burial to leave the house.
36:16 --> 36:19 [SPEAKER_00]: It is though he would say, what are you doing here?
36:19 --> 36:20 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you expect to have a funeral?
36:21 --> 36:23 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh no, go to some other place where someone is died.
36:24 --> 36:26 [SPEAKER_00]: No one here is dead, the maid only sleep with.
36:27 --> 36:28 [SPEAKER_00]: Others answer.
36:28 --> 36:30 [SPEAKER_00]: No, she does not sleep, but is dead.
36:30 --> 36:32 [SPEAKER_00]: We are here for the purpose of burying her.
36:33 --> 36:37 [SPEAKER_00]: You must not take us to be so ignorant, is not to know the difference between sleep and death.
36:37 --> 36:43 [SPEAKER_00]: Hence the evangelist says, they laughed him to scorn, as though he were a fool who does not know what sleep or death is.
36:44 --> 36:49 [SPEAKER_00]: But the Lord insists on his opinion, and is determined to show that he was right.
36:50 --> 36:52 [SPEAKER_00]: No one agreed with him except the father of the maiden.
36:53 --> 36:55 [SPEAKER_00]: This sufficed for him, for his sake, that is
36:56 --> 37:03 [SPEAKER_00]: For the sake of his faith, he gave the proof that he was right whilst the father had not believed the maiden would not have slept but would have remained dead.
37:04 --> 37:09 [SPEAKER_00]: Such a great thing is faith that trusts in the Lord Jesus for every blessing.
37:10 --> 37:21 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, the Lord steps forward, touches the maid, and shakes her a little with his hand, just as we deal with a sleeping child when we endeavor to awaken it, thus the father believed
37:21 --> 37:27 [SPEAKER_00]: and the Lord wished to do as the Father believed, and soon the maid arose as if she had enjoyed a good and sound sleep.
37:29 --> 37:34 [SPEAKER_00]: These words which the Lord hear speaks, the maid is not dead but sleepeth, we should diligently study.
37:35 --> 37:44 [SPEAKER_00]: They are words of comfort, for which, if they could be purchased, we should cheerfully give all that we possess in order that we might retain, understand, and believe them as they were intended.
37:45 --> 37:49 [SPEAKER_00]: Whoever could look upon a dead person, as though he were lying upon a bed asleep,
37:50 --> 37:59 [SPEAKER_00]: And so change his vision as to consider death to be a sleep, would have reason to be proud of a peculiar science not understood by anyone else.
38:00 --> 38:15 [SPEAKER_00]: But we see and experience in ourselves and others that the more reason holds sway over a person the less he believes and the more he is inclined to laugh, as we see here the people mocking the Lord and asking, should this man be able to raise the dead under life?
38:16 --> 38:22 [SPEAKER_00]: He must be out of his mind because he considers a dead person to be asleep and capable of being awakened by the touch of a hand.
38:23 --> 38:28 [SPEAKER_00]: The wisdom of God is so high that human reason considers it to be altogether foolishness.
38:29 --> 38:37 [SPEAKER_00]: Suppose a child of yours had died and I would tell you, it is not dead, do you not see that it is merely asleep and that it can be awakened by a finger?
38:39 --> 38:44 [SPEAKER_00]: Would you not regard me as a mocking you and your grief and ask me not to trouble you?
38:45 --> 38:47 [SPEAKER_00]: The very same thing the people here tell the Lord Jesus.
38:48 --> 38:59 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore learn from this gospel lesson that in the sight of Christ death is nothing more than a sleep, as we hear behold him awakening the dead made by the touch of his hand, as from a mere sleep.
39:00 --> 39:10 [SPEAKER_00]: Sickness also is no sickness before him, it is seen in the other example of the woman who is very sick but whose sickness had deceased and departed as soon as she came to Christ and touched his garment.
39:15 --> 39:18 [SPEAKER_00]: The blind who applied to him for help received their sight.
39:19 --> 39:22 [SPEAKER_00]: The sinners are justified, and the lost are saved.
39:23 --> 39:25 [SPEAKER_00]: He indeed deals with us wonderfully.
39:26 --> 39:31 [SPEAKER_00]: His words in our eyes seem not only vain, but even contrary to the facts.
39:31 --> 39:38 [SPEAKER_00]: Before the eyes of all others, the maid was dead, but before my eyes crests says, she lives and is asleep.
39:38 --> 39:42 [SPEAKER_00]: David is in his own eyes, and in the eyes of all men, a poor shepherd.
39:45 --> 39:59 [SPEAKER_00]: And all of you who believe in me are poor sinners in your own eyes, but before me, you are great saints, and like the angels of God, for only a word is necessary and sin, disease and death must pass away and make room for righteousness, life and health.
40:00 --> 40:03 [SPEAKER_00]: As I speak, so all things must be.
40:04 --> 40:13 [SPEAKER_00]: The Lord here makes use of a marvelous word when He says of the maiden, she is not dead but sleepeth, which words are a great falsehood in the eyes of the world.
40:15 --> 40:25 [SPEAKER_00]: She sleepeth, the people could have taken it to the sleep of Saint Michael, which lasts till the day of judgment, but he says in plain words, she is not dead, but sleepeth.
40:26 --> 40:31 [SPEAKER_00]: In your estimation and in your eyes she is dead, but before me she liveeth.
40:31 --> 40:40 [SPEAKER_00]: And in order that you may behold the truth of my words, I awaken her by the touch of a finger, as you are accustomed to awaken your children from sleep.
40:41 --> 40:48 [SPEAKER_00]: In short, we are taught here not to look at our need according to human reason with carnal eyes, but with the eyes of faith.
40:49 --> 41:02 [SPEAKER_00]: These are eyes which, when they behold sin, death and hell, can nevertheless say with assurance, I see no death, feel no sin, and I'm not condemned, but behold in Christ nothing but holiness, life and salvation.
41:02 --> 41:07 [SPEAKER_00]: Thus, when I am poor, I feel no poverty, I feel so I had plenty of everything for
41:11 --> 41:16 [SPEAKER_00]: Whoever has eyes of this kind might glory in having Christian eyes.
41:16 --> 41:20 [SPEAKER_00]: He would view things otherwise than the world does in times of famine or in pestilence.
41:21 --> 41:27 [SPEAKER_00]: In times of famine, everyone will look at a supply and seller and grainery and feel according to the amount of that supply.
41:28 --> 41:31 [SPEAKER_00]: If it be large, he will feel happy if small he will feel discouraged and despondent.
41:32 --> 41:34 [SPEAKER_00]: So also in times of pestilence.
41:34 --> 41:37 [SPEAKER_00]: Whoever can flee will do so and seek safety at some other place.
41:41 --> 41:42 [SPEAKER_00]: would argue thus.
41:43 --> 41:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Though I were attacked if possible by a thousand pestilences, I will not fear death because I have Christ.
41:49 --> 41:54 [SPEAKER_00]: If it is His will, no pestilence shall harm me any more than a flee which may bite and sting me a little but cannot take my life.
41:55 --> 42:02 [SPEAKER_00]: And certainly, if one could have such faith, he would feel secure, feel fear nothing and be of good cheer.
42:03 --> 42:07 [SPEAKER_00]: But because we do not believe and have no spiritual eyes, but look upon everything
42:11 --> 42:15 [SPEAKER_00]: and are given to foolish thoughts, as though we could flee many miles from the wrath of God.
42:16 --> 42:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, the Lord Jesus testifies that also those live unto God who, according to our view, have died, been buried and decayed long ago.
42:26 --> 42:32 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore the Lord says, Matthew 22, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
42:32 --> 42:35 [SPEAKER_00]: God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
42:36 --> 42:38 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore Abraham, Isaac and Jacob must live,
42:40 --> 42:46 [SPEAKER_00]: though they had lain in the earth thousands of years and are long since turned into ashes so that neither hair nor skin is left.
42:47 --> 42:54 [SPEAKER_00]: But Christ proves plainly that they are living, because unto God all must live, wants to us all is dead.
42:55 --> 43:06 [SPEAKER_00]: For the world and human reason cannot see anything but death, but the eyes of Christians should see what they do not see, but only here in the Word, as the Father and Christ here look upon the deceased maiden.
43:09 --> 43:11 [SPEAKER_00]: may also be said in reference to sin.
43:12 --> 43:18 [SPEAKER_00]: I am required to know and to confess that I am a sinner, and yet to believe and hope in pure holiness and righteousness.
43:18 --> 43:23 [SPEAKER_00]: For these are the words of Christ in baptism, he that believe within his baptized shall be saved.
43:24 --> 43:31 [SPEAKER_00]: And in the second of the altar, eat, this is my body given for you, drink, this is my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
43:31 --> 43:34 [SPEAKER_00]: Words like these I am required to believe to be true, and
43:39 --> 43:43 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not to regard this, but only to look upon the word and hear what it says.
43:44 --> 43:57 [SPEAKER_00]: Thus when you see a Christian die, you behold a dead person, but close such carnal eyes, and open the spiritual eyes which behold the word, and you will find that such a person is not dead, but living before God.
43:58 --> 43:59 [SPEAKER_00]: For here is the word of Christ.
44:00 --> 44:03 [SPEAKER_00]: He that believe in me shall never see death.
44:04 --> 44:06 [SPEAKER_00]: Thus we should learn from our gospel lesson.
44:08 --> 44:12 [SPEAKER_00]: No matter how great it is in your eyes, is less than nothing before the Lord.
44:13 --> 44:20 [SPEAKER_00]: For if death is to be nothing for a Christian, then blindness, deafness, leprosy pestilence, and other diseases must be stillless.
44:21 --> 44:32 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, be not alarmed when you discover in yourself sin, sickness, poverty, or other eels, close your carnal eyes and open your spiritual eyes and say, I am a Christian, and have a Lord who can remove all evil by a word.
44:33 --> 44:35 [SPEAKER_00]: Why should I trouble myself so much?
44:35 --> 44:43 [SPEAKER_00]: For as easily as he could deliver the maiden from the bodily death unto which she had fallen, he can also help us if we would but believe and trust in him for help.
44:44 --> 44:55 [SPEAKER_00]: We should remember also that this maiden experiences help not to her own faith for she's the dead do not believe, as though as they do not see nor hear, but to the faith of his father.
44:56 --> 45:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Which faith of another is so strong that it becomes the means of her restoration to life.
45:04 --> 45:06 [SPEAKER_00]: all things are possible to him that believeeth.
45:07 --> 45:17 [SPEAKER_00]: Such a powerful gift is faith, no matter how great a thing is, if you can but believe it and trust in Christ forward it shall be, and neither death nor the devil shall be able to prevent it.
45:18 --> 45:29 [SPEAKER_00]: This we learn from both miracles in our text, they are pointed out to us, and the excellencies of faith are extoled by our Lord, in order to incite us to look upon the creatures in a
45:34 --> 45:53 [SPEAKER_00]: Though to ourselves, therefore, we appear to be dead, covered with sin, prostrated by pestilence and other diseases, yet we should believe that God looks upon these things in a different light and joyfully exclaim, though I am surrounded by poverty, pestilence and death, yet as a Christian I know nothing of poverty, pestilence and death.
45:54 --> 45:59 [SPEAKER_00]: For before my Lord Jesus it is all riches, health, holiness, and life.
46:00 --> 46:01 [SPEAKER_00]: And though I do not see it now,
46:02 --> 46:07 [SPEAKER_00]: Only a word of his is needed, and I shall see it with bodily eyes that it is true and I will surely come to pass.
46:08 --> 46:23 [SPEAKER_00]: May God for the sake of his son, I redeem, or through his Holy Spirit grant us such spiritual eyes that we may look upon all misfortunes differently from what the world does, always be comforted, and finally be saved.
46:36 --> 46:38 [SPEAKER_01]: I feel like I gave this afterthought almost as I was leading up to the ceremony.
46:38 --> 46:39 [SPEAKER_01]: Something I feel passionate about.
46:40 --> 46:40 [SPEAKER_01]: You know what?
46:40 --> 46:41 [SPEAKER_01]: I...
46:41 --> 46:43 [SPEAKER_01]: I wanted to say it anyway, which is that...
46:44 --> 46:49 [SPEAKER_01]: We cannot let safety overrule us, you know, it is, look, again, I don't think you're going to deal with a black plate.
46:49 --> 46:53 [SPEAKER_01]: Let's say you did, though, I hope you're out there loving your neighbor and making sure you're taking care of them.
46:53 --> 46:55 [SPEAKER_01]: And I hope you're there, even at great risk to yourself.
46:56 --> 47:00 [SPEAKER_01]: Let us be, you know, if I think to myself, what is most like Christ is it hiding?
47:00 --> 47:01 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it being afraid?
47:01 --> 47:04 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it letting risk and safety rule my life?
47:04 --> 47:06 [SPEAKER_01]: Or is it being like Martin Luther and his wife did?
47:06 --> 47:09 [SPEAKER_01]: And taking care of the least of these trusty and only in God.
47:09 --> 47:11 [SPEAKER_01]: And no one, some people did that and they died.
47:11 --> 47:13 [SPEAKER_01]: And I bet you their reward was great in heaven.
47:14 --> 47:16 [SPEAKER_01]: Some people did that and it didn't work out for them.
47:16 --> 47:18 [SPEAKER_01]: I bet you the Lord was faithful and loved them for it.
47:19 --> 47:22 [SPEAKER_01]: But sometimes they did it too, like Martin and his wife did, and it was okay.
47:22 --> 47:23 [SPEAKER_01]: And the Lord took care of them.
47:23 --> 47:24 [SPEAKER_01]: The Lord provided for them.
47:24 --> 47:27 [SPEAKER_01]: Martin, Luther will live another 20 years or so after this.
47:27 --> 47:29 [SPEAKER_01]: His wife was able to give birth to the child.
47:29 --> 47:32 [SPEAKER_01]: All of the fears that would have kept them from doing it didn't stop them.
47:33 --> 47:34 [SPEAKER_01]: Fleeing didn't save the day.
47:34 --> 47:36 [SPEAKER_01]: And so I really love the idea that, yeah, you know what?
47:36 --> 47:41 [SPEAKER_01]: If there's enough people putting water on the fire, you don't need to jump at a needlessly risk your life here.
47:42 --> 47:46 [SPEAKER_01]: But if nobody's doing it, how can you say you love your neighbor when the moment they most need you, you abandon them?
47:47 --> 47:49 [SPEAKER_01]: And your own life look around you, who needs that love today?
47:49 --> 47:52 [SPEAKER_01]: Who's the people that you need to be preaching to and sharing with them?
47:53 --> 47:55 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it really fear or courage?
47:55 --> 47:56 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it faithfulness?
47:57 --> 47:59 [SPEAKER_01]: What is really really in your life in those moments decision?
47:59 --> 48:00 [SPEAKER_01]: I know it's hard.
48:00 --> 48:00 [SPEAKER_01]: I know it's hard.
48:00 --> 48:05 [SPEAKER_01]: But I hope that this sermon convicts or challenges you to rethink how you go through those moments as well.
48:05 --> 48:06 [SPEAKER_01]: Because it did me.
48:06 --> 48:08 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to lead to some interesting discussions.
48:08 --> 48:12 [SPEAKER_01]: I bet you if you throw that question to your people, you'll get some interesting responses as well.
48:24 --> 48:32 [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks for listening to today's episode of Revived Thoughts that a sermon was narrated, but today's sermon was narrated by Brian Wolf Mueller.
48:32 --> 48:35 [SPEAKER_02]: Wolf Mueller has narrated all of our Lutheran sermons.
48:36 --> 48:37 [SPEAKER_02]: We got an interview at 1.2.
48:38 --> 48:38 [SPEAKER_02]: It's pretty neat.
48:38 --> 48:39 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he's got his own
48:41 --> 48:50 [SPEAKER_02]: archive collection that you can read of him doing lots of sermons, so certainly if you like what you heard, search for Edmolf Miller and listen to his other stuff.
48:51 --> 49:00 [SPEAKER_01]: If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to send that question to people we'd love to hear people's comments on your thoughts on, you know, can a Christian flea from the plague, just get that conversation rolling.
49:01 --> 49:02 [SPEAKER_01]: love getting good conversations rolling.
49:03 --> 49:06 [SPEAKER_01]: I think those can really teach us what we value can help us dig through the work and strengthen us.
49:06 --> 49:24 [SPEAKER_01]: So send it to your small group, talk about it on talk a send it online, send it to old friends, talk about it with your pastor, talk about it at the seminary table, the Bible College table with your friends, talk about it in the car ride with your kids, at the dinner table, wherever you have conversations, wherever other Christians are in your life, throw that question to them and see what they say.
49:24 --> 49:28 [SPEAKER_01]: I bet you the discussion will be pretty interesting and then tell them where
49:31 --> 49:34 [SPEAKER_01]: Revive thoughts, Martin Luther episode, and they had an interesting answer too.
49:34 --> 49:35 [SPEAKER_01]: Do you know what Martin Luther said on that?
49:36 --> 49:37 [SPEAKER_01]: I bet you people will be interested.
49:38 --> 49:39 [SPEAKER_01]: This is Troy and this is Joel.
49:39 --> 49:41 [SPEAKER_01]: You were listening to Revive Thoughts.