Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Monday after the Eighth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
Leave a comment
Scripture: St. Matthew 7:22-29 (NKJV)
 
7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
 
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
 
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
 
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
 
Devotion
 
The false prophets come in their sheep’s clothing and thus deceive many. But the Lord of the Church speaks a warning to the false prophets, assuring them that they do not and will not deceive Him.
 
The false teachers depart from the prophetic and apostolic doctrine and teach their own doctrines in place of the truth. The ‘sayings’ (that is, teaching) of Jesus is the rock upon which the Church stands; the sayings of the false teachers may have the appearance of worldly wisdom, or be established by great power, or offer the appearance of deep piety, but they are nothing but shifting sand. The more that men build on such a pathetic ‘foundation,’ the greater the ruin that ensues when it all comes crashing down.
 
The scribes imposed an appearance of piety, but lacked faith; since they did not set forth that which is taught in the Word of God, their teaching was without authority. The prophetic and apostolic doctrine is the divinely-revealed teaching, and where it is heard, we hear the Word of the Lord, condemning sin and proclaiming salvation to all who repent and believe in the Christ.
 
Prayer: Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do anything that is good without Thee, may by Thee be enabled to live according to Thy will; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Leave a Comment