Luther for the Busy Man

Martin Luther
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  • Christianity
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Luther for the Busy Man is a new project brought to you by the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary, in cooperation with Ambassador Publications, the publishing arm of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations. Listen to daily meditations by Martin Luther himself, following the church calendar and read to you by Dave Ryerson.

  1. 2d ago

    Week of Trinity XV - Sunday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XV - SUNDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 6:24-34 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22 In this Gospel we see how God separates the Christians from the heathen. The Lord does not offer this doctrine to the heathen because they do not accept it; this doctrine is given to Christians. But He does not regard those as His Christians who hear the Word only to learn and recite it by heart, like many of the religious do with the psalter. The devil also hears the Word of God and the Gospel in this way; in fact, he knows it better than we do. He could also preach it just as well as we do if he wanted to do so. But the Gospel is a doctrine of such a kind that it always aims at becoming a living force in men’s lives. It must result in action, strengthen men, and comfort them, make them courageous and bold. Therefore, those who hear the Gospel only to obtain an external knowledge of it, so that they may be able to discourse learnedly about the wisdom of God, should not be numbered among true Christians. The only real Christians are those who actually put into practice what the Gospel teaches. You will not find so many of these. We see many who are hearers of the Word but not so many who are doers. May God grant us His grace that we may always become doers of His Word so that His Gospel does not remain only in our ears and on our tongues, but that it may really reach our hearts and then burst forth in active works of love to our neighbor. SL 11:1614 (1-2, 35) PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, we praise and thank You for the precious gift of Your Word and Gospel in which You reveal all that it is necessary for us to know and believe for our faith and life as Christians. Bestow Your Holy Spirit upon us in rich measure that we never become merely hearers of Your Word, but actual doers of the same, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:102-117.

    Week of Trinity XV - Sunday

  2. 3d ago

    Week of Trinity XIV - Saturday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XIV - SATURDAYLESSON: 1 THESSALONIANS 2:11‒13 As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. James 2:26 We prove the genuineness of our love as Christians by works of love. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). James declares, “Faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). His meaning clearly is: If your life is so arranged that it is not of service to others, that you are living for yourself alone without any consideration for your neighbor, your faith is certainly nothing. In such a case, you are not doing as Christ has done for you. You do not really believe that Christ has done you any good at all, for if you did, you would be compelled by an inner necessity to do good to your neighbor. This is also what Paul means in the celebrated passage in Corinthians: “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). We do not say all this to suggest that faith is not enough to obtain righteousness for you before God, but because in a Christians life these two, faith and love, must always be attached to each other and never separated. There are presumptuous people who think that they can separate them. They want to believe without loving. They despise their neighbor and still want to have Christ. This is a false and wrong view. So we say: faith is everything and saves, so that a man requires nothing more for his salvation. But faith is never inactive or lazy. It is always very busy, but it works for the good of the neighbor and not for self. It needs nothing for itself, for it already has all things in Christ. If this is not how faith reacts, there is something wrong with it. Its reaction must be love. SL.XI.1583,23 AE 79:68-97 PRAYER: Preserve us, O God, against the error of errors that we are saved by works of righteousness which we ourselves have performed. Keep us ever firm and steadfast in the conviction that we are saved only by God’s grace, through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

    Week of Trinity XIV - Saturday

  3. 4d ago

    Week of Trinity XIV - Friday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XIV - FRIDAYLESSON: 1 PETER 2:13‒17 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 The lepers teach us faith; Christ teaches us love. Love deals with the neighbor in the manner in which it discovers that Christ has dealt with us. Jesus said to His disciples, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Soon after this He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). What else is Jesus saying to us here but this: “Through Me you now have in faith everything that I am and have; I am your very own. You are now rich and fully satisfied through Me. For all that I do and love is not for My sake but for you, that you should have nothing but the one thought, namely, how I can be useful and helpful to you and fulfill all that you desire and need. Therefore, never lose sight of Me as your example. Do to one another as I have done for you. Consider also henceforth how you can live for the benefit of your neighbor, and do whatever you see to be useful and of benefit to him. Your faith has enough in My love and goodness; therefore you should now give your love to others.” SL.XI.1580,18 AE 79:68-97 PRAYER: It is Your will, heavenly Father, that we should always give You our full and complete faith and trust. Grant us also the privilege to prove our faith in You with the love that we show our neighbor, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

    Week of Trinity XIV - Friday

  4. 5d ago

    Week of Trinity XIV - Thursday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XIV - THURSDAYLESSON: JAMES 1:2‒8 When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Luke 17:14 In this Gospel we are given a very warm and friendly invitation to draw near to Christ, to put our faith and trust in Him. There is no doubt that He wants to do for everyone what He did for these lepers. All that is necessary is for us to cast ourselves freely upon Him in the expectation of receiving from Him all His grace and goodness. In this regard, true faith and a Christian heart should act and does act as these lepers act and teach us to act. That it pleases Christ that we should joyfully and freely determine to build upon His goodness, even before we have experienced it or felt it, is sufficiently attested here in the way in which He so willingly lends an ear to them without any delay at all. Nor does He tell them that He is about to help them. He simply deals with them as if what they desired had already happened. He does not say to them, “Yes, I will have mercy on you; you will be clean.” He simply says, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” It is as though He says to them, “You do not have to make any entreaty. Your faith has already obtained and acquired what you want before you ask for it. You were already clean, as far as I was concerned, when you began to expect all this from Me. Nothing more is needed, then, but that you should go to show the priests that you have been cleansed. As I regard you, and as you believe, so you are and so you will be.” He would not have sent them to the priests had He not regarded them as clean. Behold, how powerful faith is! It acquires everything it desires from God, and God regards it as accomplished even before it is asked for. Isaiah speaks of faith when he says, “Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24). SL.XI.1579,16‒17 AE 79:68-97 PRAYER: Faith is the means whereby You bestow all Your blessings upon us, heavenly Father. When our faith is right, all is right with us as Your children. Preserve us and strengthen us in faith, in and through Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Amen.

    Week of Trinity XIV - Thursday

  5. 6d ago

    Week of Trinity XIV - Wednesday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XIV - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 103:1‒5 “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Luke 17:13 Faith never asserts merits or tries to purchase God’s grace with works. It pleads only its utter lack of merits, or its demerits, and clings only to the pure, unmerited goodness and grace of God. This is also demonstrated very well by the lepers who have confident expectations in regard to Christ’s grace, without the performance of any works. What good thing could they have done beforehand to impress Him? They had never seen Him before; much less did they have opportunities of serving Him. Then, too, they were lepers whom He would have been compelled to avoid according to the Law (Leviticus 13). It would have been necessary for Him to tell them the rights and wrongs of their situation. Basically, He would have been compelled to tell them the truth that He could have nothing to do with them, and they nothing with Him. That is also why they stand “at a distance,” as those who are well aware of their unworthiness. Faith also stands at a distance from God; yet it runs to meet Him and cries out to Him. Faith fully recognizes the truth that it is unworthy of God’s goodness and has nothing on which to rely except His highly celebrated goodness. The soul which stands at a distance and is empty also seeks God’s goodness. This goodness cannot be linked in any way with our merits or works; it will come only of its own accord as Christ comes in this village to the lepers so that their praise might remain free and pure. There is complete agreement here. God’s love dispenses His goodness freely and gratuitously. It receives nothing or seeks nothing in payment. Faith receives this goodness as a pure and simple gift, without making any payment of any kind for it. SL.XI.1578,12‒14 AE 79:68-97 PRAYER: There is never anything in us, O God, which merits Your grace and goodness, but rather the very opposite of this. Thanks and praise be Yours, heavenly Father, for the riches of Your grace and mercy freely bestowed upon us, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

    Week of Trinity XIV - Wednesday

  6. Sep 8

    Week of Trinity XIV - Tuesday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XIV - TUESDAY LESSON: ROMANS 9:30‒33 As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Luke 17:12‒13 It is not enough for you to believe that there is a God, and that you make long prayers, as is now the abominable custom. In the case of the lepers, you see how it is a mark of faith to teach men fruitful prayer without any professional instruction. Here you see how they had formed a good opinion about Christ and had acquired a degree of confidence in Him. They also entertained the firm expectation that He would regard them graciously.  This same expectation made them bold and thirsty, so that they placed their need before Him and with all seriousness and in a loud voice requested His help. Had they not previously gained this high opinion and expectation in regard to Him, they would probably have stayed at home and not come out to meet Him, crying out to Him in a loud voice. In that case, too, doubt would probably have gained the upper hand as they asked themselves: “What are we up to? Who knows if He will react kindly to our requests? Perhaps He will not even look at us!”   True faith has no doubt at all about the good and gracious will of God. And so the prayer of true faith is strong, just as faith itself is strong and firm. St. Luke underlines three things in the conduct of these lepers: first, they came out to meet Jesus; secondly, they stood; and thirdly, theylifted up their voices. In these three points, Luke praises their strong faith and sets them before us as examples. SL.XI.1575,6 AE 79:68-97 PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, all that You have revealed to us about Jesus and His Gospel of salvation is the strongest of incentives to faith and confidence. Grant us Your grace to accept in firm faith all that Your Gospel offers us, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

    Week of Trinity XIV - Tuesday

  7. Sep 7

    Week of Trinity XIV - Monday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XIV - MONDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 17:14‒21 If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. I Corinthians 13:2 This Gospel (Luke 17:11‒19) places before us a simple story or event that is quite easy to understand and requires little explanation. But although it is quite simple, it sets before us a most important example. In the case of the lepers, it teaches us faith; in respect to Christ, it teaches us love. And faith and love constitute the whole essence of a Christian, as I have so frequently stated.  Faith receives; love gives. Faith brings a man to God; love brings him to his neighbor. Through faith, man lets himself be benefited by God; through love, he does good to his neighbor. He who has faith has all things from God and is blessed and rich; henceforth he needs nothing more. All that he does, he arranges for the good and benefit of his neighbor, and he does all this through love, even as God has done all things for him through faith. He draws good from above through faith, and he dispenses it here below through love.    The saints who have acquired their holy status by works violently oppose all this; their merits and good works concern themselves rather than their neighbor. They live for themselves alone. They do their good without faith. These two sides of the Christian life, faith and love, are well illustrated in this story of the cleansing of the ten lepers. SL.XI.1575,4 AE 79:68-97 PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, strengthen our faith that it becomes the real fountain and source of all that is good and blessed in our lives as Christians, and produces a rich harvest in fruits of love to our neighbor, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

    Week of Trinity XIV - Monday

  8. Sep 6

    Week of Trinity XIV - Sunday

    THE WEEK OF TRINITY XIV - SUNDAYLESSON: LUKE 17:11‒19 “The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28 One point of difference between St. Luke and the other evangelists is that Luke did not concentrate only on the work and doctrine of Christ, like the others; he also described the order of His journeys and the routes by which He traveled. Up to chapter thirteen, Luke’s Gospel points out how Jesus began to preach and to do signs in Capernaum, to which He went from Nazareth and where He lived. From the end of chapter nine till the end of his Gospel, Luke tells us how He preached and performed miracles on His journey from Capernaum to Jerusalem. This was the last journey during His life here on earth and took place during the last year of that life. This is also what Luke is referring to here when he says that “on the way to Jerusalem He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.”  This was not the usual route from Capernaum to Jerusalem. He passed along “between Samaria and Galilee” lengthening His journey. The nearest route lay along the borders of these territories. The evangelist is at some pains to remind us here that Jesus did not travel by the usual route to Jerusalem but that He took a time-consuming, more distant and circuitous route on this journey to Jerusalem.  He did not do this for any personal reasons, but to seize extra opportunities to proclaim the Gospel and to extend His help to people who needed it. He makes His way through the midst of this territory so that His progress might be quite public, and that He might be at everyone’s service. In this way, the people could approach Him from all sides and receive His help. He was sent to make Himself available to all, so that everyone might freely enjoy His goodness and grace.    SL.XI.1572,1‒2 AE 79:68-97   PRAYER: Thanks and praise be Yours, heavenly Father, for sending us Your Son to be such a ready and willing helper. May this fact draw us ever closer to Him in all our needs, in the full assurance of His most tender grace and looking to Him for full salvation. In His name we ask it. Amen.

    Week of Trinity XIV - Sunday
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Luther for the Busy Man is a new project brought to you by the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary, in cooperation with Ambassador Publications, the publishing arm of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations. Listen to daily meditations by Martin Luther himself, following the church calendar and read to you by Dave Ryerson.

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  • Creator
    Martin Luther
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    386
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2020 - Luther For the Busy Man
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    Luther for the Busy Man

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