Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Wednesday after the Fourth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: Romans 1:1-15 (NKJV)

1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

Devotion

The announcement of the good news of our Savior did not begin with the New Testament, but was promised beforehand by the Old Testament prophets. The heavenly Father told King David that one of his descendants would be the promised Messiah. Jesus was that Seed of David! The second person of the Trinity was born “according to the flesh.” The Nicene Creed says He “was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” Isaiah foretold that our Savior, according to the flesh, was as a regular man. “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Is. 53:2).

Nevertheless, in His words and works, the man Jesus Christ showed Himself to be the Son of God. By His teaching with authority Jesus showed Himself to be the only One who came down from Heaven. In His miracles Jesus showed Himself to be of the same substance as the Father. Finally, it was in His resurrection from the dead that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness.” St. Paul’s apostleship and the faith of the Roman believers were the result of someone’s preaching of the fulfilled resurrection of the God-Man Jesus Christ. When the Lord sends you a pastor to preach the Gospel to you, receive His grace with thanksgiving.

We pray: O Lord, through the preaching of the Gospel, bring forth in us the fruits of faith. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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