Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Monday after the Eighth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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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
 
“He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
 
Our Lord teaches as “one having authority.” What does that mean? When confronting a question of doctrine or practice, the scribes would quote various teachers, and then say what they thought the right answer was. Jesus was different. He just flat told them how it was. This, of course, is because He Himself is the source of all Scripture, so His interpretation is always the right one. He does not need “back up” authority.
 
More to the point is what He was teaching. Hear His Word. Do it. Build on this rock; do not be foolish and build on sand. And when we hear His Word, what do we hear? We hear words of Law. We are not to act as though we are free to sin; as believers we do not even want to. Rather, we strive to obey, trusting that the Giver of the Law wants only what is best for us.
 
Nevertheless, despite our best efforts, we remain sinners. So when we hear Jesus’ Word, we also hear His Word of Gospel. We receive the good news that our sins are forgiven. And we have the confidence that this is no mere pious wish. It is an authoritative Word of Jesus. Our sins are forgiven.
 
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.

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