LESSON: EPHESIANS 6:13-18

Be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18

In the very first chapter of the Bible we are told, “The Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). This passage is not quite as clear as Matthew 28:19, because the Jews make it a little shaky for us when they tell us that the word for Spirit in Hebrew can also mean “wind.” David’s statement is clearer: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the Spirit of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6, RSV has “breath of his mouth”). From this passage, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is God because the heavens and their host were created through Him.

David also says, “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!” (Psalm 139:7-8). This is no language for a creature! No creature is to be found in all corners of the world, and no creature fills the whole world. This can only be affirmed of God, the Creator.

Accordingly, we stick to the Scriptures and the statements of Scripture which attest the threefold person of God and say, “I know for sure that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a living reality, but just how they are truly one I do not know and will never know.”

SL 11:1151 (10-12)

PRAYER: Holy, almighty, eternal, divine Spirit, of one authority and dominion with the Father and the Son, set up Your throne in our hearts. You who are pure, purify us! You who are light, enlighten us! You who are Lord and giver of life, grant us the true life which knows no end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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, 3:405-411.

LESSON: MATTHEW 3:13-17

“This is eternal life, that they know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent.” John 17:3

You can have no more sure and certain basis for the deity of Christ than to wrap up your heart in clear passages of Scripture and, in this way, also lock up this truth in your hearts.

Scripture begins in a very gentle manner and introduces us to Christ as a man. Then it brings Him before us as the Lord of all creatures. Finally, we are shown quite clearly and expressly that Christ is God. In this way, fine progress is made, and we learn to recognize God.

The philosophers and worldly-wise men begin at the top and make fools of themselves in the process. You must begin at the bottom and make your way up so that Solomon’s words are not fulfilled in you: “It is not good to eat too much honey, and he who investigates difficult matters will find the going too hard” (Proverbs 25:27, Luther’s translation).

Our faith in the two persons of the Father and the Son has been adequately grounded and established on clear passages of Scripture. On the third person, the Holy Spirit, we may well quote Christ’s words on sending out His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

Here Christ assigns deity also to the Holy Spirit, inasmuch as I can trust or believe in no one else but God alone. I always need one who is mighty over death, hell, and the devil. He must also be able to rule over all creatures so that they cannot harm me and so that He can always pull me through. I must have one on whom I can freely build. Christ decides that we should believe and trust in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be God.

SL 11:1150 (8-9)

PRAYER: Almighty and everlasting God, in Your mercy You have granted us the faith to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity. Keep us steadfast in this faith which leads us to the salvation which You have prepared for us in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. 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, 3:405-411.

LESSON: PSALM 8

He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Revelation 17:14

In the second psalm, God says to His Son: “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth as your possession” (Psalm 2:8). Here He is clearly appointed as the King of all things because He is God’s Son. There has never been any ordinary prince or king to whom the whole world has been subjected.

In a similar way, David openly calls Him a God when He says, “Thy throne, O God (RSV margin), endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity; you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows” (Psalm 45:6-7).

God appoints no one as such a king who is not Himself God. For He will not release the bridle from His own hands. He wants to remain Lord over heaven and earth, death, hell, the devil, and all creatures. Inasmuch, then, as God has made Christ Lord over all that has been created, Christ must certainly be regarded as being Himself true God together with God the Father.

SL 11:1150 (7)

PRAYER: Almighty God, so reign in our hearts and souls that Christ may have the sole dominion there. Grant that we may sincerely embrace Him with our whole hearts as King of kings and Lord of lords and continually glorify Him by our works of faith, together with Yourself, O Father, and the blessed Spirit, now and forever. 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, 3:405-411.