The 4th Sunday after the Festival of the Holy Trinity
also known as the Sixth Sunday of the Pentecost Season
July 13, 2025
The Apostle Paul….A Former Legalist-turned-Evangelical
…..What Happened to Him Has Happened To Us Too – by God’s Grace
Imagine if there was a new law in our land, one that was a nation-binding amendment to our Constitution of our United States. This new law would declare that every person in our country who has a job would receive the same paycheck. From top to bottom, from the corporate executives to the lowest level responsibility employee, from superstar athletes to water boys, from team owners to peanut vendors, from Wall Street brokers and lawyers to all the gophers on their staff, from supervisors to assembly line workers, from teachers to janitors, from farmers to check-out clerks to hamburger flippers–you name it– all employees would get exactly the same paycheck…with no deviations whatsoever. It doesn’t matter how many hours a person would put in on the job, or how long that person would have worked in a particular place — every paycheck for everybody would be precisely the same.
I can imagine that a law like that would cause quite a stir, wouldn’t you? After all, because of the influence of the labor movement in our country important safeguards such as equal pay for equal work, bonus clauses, overtime pay, pension plans, vacation time, and personal days based upon years served have been part of our nation’s employee
compensation regulations for years. So have privileges like profit sharing, collective bargaining, labor grievances, salary arbitration, and medical plans. If workers aren’t compensated they way they feel they deserve to be, they have the right in our country to negotiate new compensation, or even to go out on strike in an effort to secure compensation satisfaction. Sometimes that works; sometimes it doesn’t.
But – again – just imagine if everyone received the very same paycheck, regardless of the type of work they did, regardless of their experience and seniority, their education, or how long they worked at a particular business. My guess is that, at least initially, people “on the bottom rungs of the work ladder” would be overjoyed. However, other employees, from those in the middle, certainly to those on the higher rungs (in terms of responsibility, hours on the job, and training/skills required) would be more than just a little bit upset, wouldn’t they? They’d probably be apoplectic. Why would the latter be so upset? You know the reason as well as I do. Because it wouldn’t be fair. Because it would eventually promote laziness and indifference in the workplace. Because a minority of employees would end up doing most of the work, while the majority “rode the real workers’ coattails.” And, finally, because it just wouldn’t be right.
But that’s what God’s grace in Christ to us is…..It doesn’t make sense. It isn’t fair. It can’t be earned by us. But it is real and true, and an incomprehensible blessing for us, through faith. God’s grace is His undeserved love for us and everything that flows from that love: forgiveness, His gift of eternal salvation in heaven apart from our being able to earn it (which we can’t do), and our being enabled to believe through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This morning God’s grace will be on display in all our Scripture lessons and our hymns, but particularly in connection with a story (actually, a parable, recorded in Matthew 20) that Jesus told very shortly before He entered Jerusalem to begin Holy Week….which, of course, culminated in His gracious crucifixion and resurrection for our forgiveness and salvation. Jesus’ parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is not only very familiar to us, unfortunately it is often misunderstood and mis-applied by many people….from theologians to pastors, to teachers to daily Bible readers…..perhaps even by us on occasion.
Basically the story is about a man needing workers in His vineyard. He begins the day by hiring some mn who agree with him on a specific – and fair – salary for the day’s work. On a couple of occasions later in the day, the owner hires more men – promising them that he will pay them an undefined wage, but one that is fair. Some workers labor part of the day. A few only work one hour. At the day’s end, he pays the last hired first. They get the wage he promised the first ones hired….who had worked the entire day. No doubt those workers assumed the owner was an extremely generous man who was going to pay them much more than the last hired. They were wrong. Everyone received exactly the same pay. Then the first workers hired grumbled and complained that it wasn’t fair….that they had worked all day and deserved to be paid more. The vineyard owner came to them and calmly said that the first hired had agreed to a certain amount of compensation (a denarius….the Jewish equivalent of a fair, full day’s pay), and that if he wanted to be generous with the other men hired, who had worked less hours, that was his business as the owner. End of discussion. End of story.
Except for how to interpret it. As I noted earlier, not everyone gets the true point of this parable. This is not a lesson about socialism and equality when it comes to God’s blessings, nor does it center on the false idea that in order to be saved a person has to accept the Lord’s invitation to believe in Him (since only the Holy Spirit can work faith in our hearts). This isn’t a lesson about the importance of being generous with others…..important though that Christian character trait is. Finally, this isn’t a parable, either, about finding joy in serving our Lord in this life – regardless of how much work we do compared to others. The parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is all about the generosity (namely, the grace) of the vineyard owner (the LORD). The denarius/ day’s wage represents God’s mercy to undeserving sinners like us, because of which He forgives our sins, empowers us with His Spirit to believe, and gives us eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus. We don’t (and can’t) earn those blessings. Instead, our God gives them to us solely because He is “generous”/gracious. And THAT should be a tremendous comfort and encouragement to us all. In spite of our sins, God loves us and has saved us for heaven through Christ’s redeeming work. We don’t have to earn it by our efforts and good behavior. He simply gives us salvation because He is gracious. All we need to do is believe in and gratefully accept His gracious gift to us.
In addition to our Gospel Lesson, through our First lesson this morning (from Acts 15), we want to recognize that the Word of God had been spreading beyond the Christian Church’s first Jewish converts into the Gentile world. And those Gentiles responded enthusiastically to the Gospel message of salvation from sin by God’s grace alone, through faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. In Antioch, Syria these new converts were in love with God and filled with joy because their sins were forgiven and their salvation was assured. They enjoyed their association with their fellow Christians and were growing in their faith in Christ. Even in the face of persecution, they didn’t falter in following Jesus. But then something happened for which they were not prepared.
A small group of zealous, formerly Jewish people, who had converted to Christianity, came from Jerusalem to pay a visit. Born into Judaism, these people had rigorously followed the Jewish faith, observing all the laws of Moses as well as the added traditions of Judaism. Prior to their conversion they were sure they were going to heaven because of their obedience, as well as their Jewish bloodline (since they were “God’s chosen people.”) Even when they became Christians, acknowledging Jesus as their Promised Messiah, apparently they assumed that they still needed to continue to follow all the Jewish laws and traditions. Now, to some extent they were right, at least concerning the Moral Law (that is, the Ten Commandments, to which we should all always be faithful), but Judaism by then had gone far beyond the words God gave Moses. In fact it had added to God’s Word considerably.
What’s more, those former Jews didn’t realize that much of the Old Testament “Mosaic” Law (especially what we refer to as the “Ceremonial Law” [pertaining to Jewish worship matters] and the “Civil Law” [Israel’s governmental regulations] had been given exclusively to the people of Israel…..and not to everyone. In fact, in the case of the Ceremonial Law, it’s primary purpose had been to focus God’s Old Testament people’s attention on their sinfulness and their desperate need for the Coming Savior.
Anyway, when those Jewish Christians (Paul would eventually refer to them as “Judaizers”) arrived in Antioch, they tried to impose all their Jewish rules and customs on the Gentiles there who had become Christians. They thought they were “enhancing” the Gentiles’ faith; of course, they weren’t….they were harming them. One of the worst things they told those Christian Gentiles was: “Unless you are circumcised, and follow the other rules of Moses, you can’t be sure you’ll be saved. Faith in Jesus matters, of course. But salvation also comes through obedience.” They made it sound like a person is saved by personally keeping God’s law, rather than that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us through His sinless life lived for us, His sacrificial death for our sins, and His resurrection three days later as the proof of our salvation.
What those Judaizers taught was something we call “Legalism,” which is simply seeing the Christian life as a list of things to do and to avoid. Legalism teaches that a person is justified before God by his/her own obedience, rather than through faith alone in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. Judaism was then (and is still) based on legalism – the idea that salvation is earned (and so is a reward for ones goodness). Those Jewish people were compromising the truth of the Gospel (salvation by grace alone) and endangering those souls of those Gentile believers. Sadly, legalism remains a threat to the church of today, since it can be found in the hearts and minds of all of us. In fact, it is man’s “natural religion.” But it’s a religion that can never save a single soul, since no one can ever be good enough/perfect to please our holy God….and it’s personal goodness that ultimately legalism teaches is necessary for salvation.
Why is legalism such a problem in the church and for you and me? Well, essentially Legalism turns a relationship of love for God, based on His grace to us, into a religion of laws. Of course we want to recognize that the Law of God is good and important for us. In fact, the purposes of God’s Law are to benefit us: 1) by showing us the extent of our sinfulness and our need for our Savior, 2) by curbing, through its threats, the worst outbreaks of sin in our lives; and 3) by showing us how we can serve and please God by teaching us what God’s will is. But if you or I rely on our obedience to God’s Law as the surety of our salvation, we are dreadfully – even damnably – mistaken.
We dare not make the mistake of thinking that we can become acceptable to God by obeying His laws, let alone by following any man-made regulations. We aren’t saved by not sinning, or by behaving properly. Rather, we have been made right with God through the perfect obedience of Christ that He credits to us, and through the innocent sufferings, sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus for us. It’s entirely – and only – Christ’s obedience, death and resurrection that saves us….and the faith that God the Holy Spirit gives us to believe that. As the early Christians heard and believed the Gospel, and as we hear and believe the Gospel today, a love for God grows in the hearts of all believers because we know for certain, as Jesus put it so succinctly in John 3:16 that….”God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The Jewish religious sect known as the Pharisees were the perfect example of Legalism. They were zealously committed to keeping God’s Law to the minutest detail. But to be “extra faithful” the Pharisees added their own “finer points” and “subdivisions” to the Law of God…..all emphasizing rigorous obedience, as well as Jewish heritage, as their surety for receiving God’s favor and earning a place in heaven. In our Sermon Text for today, which speaks about his life prior to his conversion to Christianity, the Apostle Paul talks about how he was not only a member of the Pharisee sect, but an exemplary “Pharisee of Pharisees.” As far as he was concerned, his familial “pedigree” as a member of the tribe of Benjamin was an additional “feather in his cap” of legalistic faithfulness. During that period he was even proud that he had persecuted Christians and tried to exterminate the followers of Jesus because he was so “pro-Pharisee/pro-Legalism” that he despised the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
…..UNTIL God miraculously converted him to faith in Christ outside the city of Damascus, Syria (Acts 9). Then everything changed for him and Paul saw his faith in a whole different light. By God’s grace, he was brought to the realization that he could not save himself from hell, but that Jesus had lived, died and risen to earn his place in heaven. Paul had been brought to the conviction that his former way of life as a legalistic Pharisee was actually the path to eternal death in hell. How did that happen? Because God the Holy Spirit had convinced him that it was impossible for him or anyone else to earn heaven by being good and obeying God’s Law….but that heaven comes as God’s gracious gift to us through faith in Jesus’ redeeming work.
In our Epistle Lesson Paul instructs us in one of the Law’s purposes….that of a mirror to show us our sin. Of course, the Law of God also reflects and mirrors the perfect righteousness of God. It tells us much about Who our God is. The Law also – and for us, especially – illuminates our human sinfulness in all its damnable ugliness (Romans 3:20), which is the Law serving as that “mirror.” The 5th century “church father,” Augustine of Hippo, wrote: “The Law orders that we, after attempting to do what is ordered, and so feeling our weakness under the Law, may learn to implore the help of grace.” In other words, the Law especially serves to highlight our sinfulness and the curse of eternal damnation that we deserve in hell for those sins. Then, as we despair of ever saving ourselves, it forces us – in faith – to turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone for deliverance from our sin and His assurance of our eternal salvation. And let’s notice how Paul makes it clear that obedience to the Law cannot save us….since we cannot keep it flawlessly. Only the Gospel saves.
Today’s Children’s Lesson is the very familiar message of Paul defining “grace” as God’s free gift to all of us undeserving sinners. If God were “fair” in His dealings with us, we would all be eternally dead, headed to hell because of our transgressions and sins. God’s grace is something no one can earn; we don’t deserve it. But He gives it to us freely because of His amazing love for us.
It is very hard for humans to get into our heads that we cannot become right with God by being “good people.” If we could do that, we wouldn’t need Jesus as our Savior; we could save ourselves. Instead, we have been made right with God through the righteousness, the atoning death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ for us….and nothing else. It’s just as a very familiar hymn (Rock of Ages) says, “Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to Thy cross I cling.” The Bible simply puts it this way: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul also wrote this to Titus: “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). And so, the Gospel is all that we need to know….as it’s all that we need to believe to be saved.
The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version
Copyright 2019, The Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission. Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831
Pre-Service Prayer –
Lord, open now my heart to hear
And through Your Word to me, draw near;
Let me Your Word e’er pure retain, Let me Your child and heir remain.
Your Word does deeply move the heart,
Your Word does perfect health impart,
Your Word my soul with joy does bless,
Your Word brings peace and happiness. Amen.
Silent Prayer
Pre-service music
We Worship the Lord
The Greeting and Invitation to Worship
after which the Congregation will please rise for
The Invocation
Pastor We begin this service in the name of the Father
Congregation Who gave us our lives through His almighty power.
P: And of the Son
C: Who redeemed our lives with His precious blood.
P: And of the Holy Spirit
C: Who gave us eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.
P: Amen.
Today’s Opening Scriptural Dialog
P: Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)
C: Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
P: Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and prove what His will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.
(Romans 12:12)
C: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)
P: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.. (Matthew 22:39)
C: For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and rose again.
(II Corinthians 5:14-15)
P: Jesus said: “A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you,, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)
C: Thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ. (II Corinthians 2:14-15a)
P: Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a lift of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1)
C: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (I Corinthians 9:15)
After which the Congregation may be seated for
The Opening Hymn Hymn 226 “To Your Temple, I Draw Near”
sung antiphonally
Verse 1 – sung by all
Verse 2 – Pulpit Side Verse 3 – Lectern Side
Verse 4 – sung by all
Verse 5 – Women and Girls Verse 6 – Men and Boys
Verse 7 – sung by all
1 To your temple I draw near; Lord, I love to worship here.
Here are sacrament and Word; Here believers meet their Lord.
2 I through Christ am reconciled; I through Christ become your child.
Abba, Father, give me grace In your courts to seek your face.
3 While your glorious praise is sung, Touch my lips, unloose my tongue,
That my joyful soul may bless Christ the Lord, my righteousness.
4 While the prayers of saints ascend, God of love, to mine attend.
Hear me, for your Spirit pleads; Hear, for Jesus intercedes.
5 While I listen to your law, Fill my soul with holy awe
Till your gospel brings to me Life and immortality.
6 While your ministers proclaim Peace and pardon in your name,
Through their voice, by faith, may I Hear you speaking from the sky.
7 From your house, when I return, May my heart within me burn,
And at evening let me say, “I have walked with God today.”
After which, the Congregation will rise for
We Make Confession Of Our Sins To the LORD
P: Brothers and sisters in Christ, in preparation for confessing our sins together, please join me in examining our lives according to God’s Ten Commandments, along with Martin Luther’s explanations for each of those commandments:
C: You shall have no other gods.
P: We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
C: You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not use His name to curse, swear, lie or deceive, or use witchcraft, but call upon God’s name in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
C: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but regard it as holy, and gladly hear and learn it.
C: Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority, but honor, serve, and obey them, and give them love and respect.
C: You shall not murder.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need.
C: You shall not commit adultery.
P: We should fear and love God that we lead a pure and decent life in words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other.
C: You shall not steal.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not take our neighbor’s money or property or get it by dishonest dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and means of income.
C: You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, or give him a bad name, but defend him, speak well of him, and take his words and actions in the kindest possible way.
C: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house or obtain it by a show of right, but do all we can to help him keep it.
C: You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, workers, animals, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
P: We should fear and love God that we do not force or entice away our neighbor’s spouse, workers, or animals, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
Pastor: Beloved in the Lord, let us draw near to the Lord with sincere hearts and confess our sins to God, our Father, pleading that He might, for
the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant us the forgiveness of all our sins.
Congregation: Miserable person that I am, I confess and lament to You, O most holy God, that I am a weak and sinful creature, guilty of every
sin, of unbelief, and of blasphemy. I also confess that Your Word has not brought forth good fruit in me. I hear it, but do not receive it earnestly. I do not show works of love toward my neighbor. I am full of anger, hate, and envy. I am impatient, greedy, and bent on every evil. Therefore my heart and conscience are heavy. Lord, I ask You, free me from my sins, strengthen my faith, and comfort my weak conscience by Your divine Word, that I may obtain Your promised grace.
The Assurance of God’s Forgiveness
Having just heard your sincere confession of sins and plea for pardon may these words of our Savior in Matthew 8:31 comfort and encourage you: “It will be done for you as you believe.” And now, in the place of and according to the command of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sin, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. God be gracious unto you and strengthen your faith. Go in peace. Amen.
We Respond To God’s Forgiveness ….. verses 1 & 6 of Hymn 390
“Salvation Unto Us Has Come”
Salvation unto us has come By God’s free grace and favor
Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone
He is the one Redeemer.
All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise To Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God that saved us by His grace — All glory to His merit!
O Triune God in heaven above, Who has revealed Your saving love,
Your blessed name be hallowed. AMEN.
The Prayer for Today
O Precious Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, + You in Whom the Fullness of the eternal God dwells in bodily form, + We thank and praise You for Your amazing, steadfast love for sinners like us! + Though we deserve rejection – not reconciliation with Your Father, + You chose to become one of us – human in every way. + You chose to live sinlessly under Your own divine Law – and then You credited us with Your righteousness, + so that we are freed from the Law’s demands and curse, + and regarded as sinless….for Your sake! + Then, through a sacrificial love we cannot comprehend, + You took sole responsibility for all our sins. + You endured for us Your Father’s rejection of our transgressions. + You died the death of hell that we deserve. + And now, because of Your sinless life, sacrificial death and resurrection + we are fully forgiven and heirs of heaven – through faith in You, our Savior. + Grow our faith in You, through Your Holy Spirit, as we meditate on Your Word today, + that we might love You more completely + and serve You more faithfully + carrying out Your commands, all the days of our lives. + We ask this in Your name, dear Savior, + For, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, + You reign as the One, True, and Only God, + for ever and ever. + Amen.
Following this the Congregation will be seated for
We Hear God’s Word
The First Lesson Acts 15:1-21
Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the law handed down by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Because this brought about a serious argument and debate between Paul and Barnabas and these men, they appointed Paul and Barnabas and some other men from the church to go up to Jerusalem, to see the apostles and the elders concerning this controversy.
3 After they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they described in detail the conversion of the Gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported everything God had done through them.
5 But some of the believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders gathered together to look into this matter. 7 After there had been much discussion, Peter stood up and said to them, “Gentlemen, brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you, that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, Who knows the heart, testified on their behalf by giving them the Holy Spirit, exactly as He gave Him to us. 9 He also showed that there is no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why are you testing God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary! We believe that we are saved in the same way they are—through the grace of our Lord Jesus.”
12 The whole assembly fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul, who reported all the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
13 After they finished speaking, James responded, “Gentlemen, brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has reported how God for the first time has visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for His name. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: 16 After these things I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord— even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord Who does these things.
18 “Long ago He made these things known. 19 So it is my judgment that we should not cause extra difficulty for those among the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient times Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, since he is being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
The Epistle Lesson Romans 3:9-28
9 What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all! In fact, we have already made the charge that all (both Jews and Greeks) are under sin. 10 Just as it is written: There is no one who is righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who searches for God. 12 They all turned away; together they became useless. There is no one who does what is good; there is not even one. 13 Their throat is an open grave. They kept deceiving with their tongues. The poison of asps is on their lips. 14 Their mouth is filled with cursing and bitterness. 15 Their feet are quick to shed blood. 16 They leave a trail of destruction and suffering wherever they go. 17 The way of peace they did not know. 18 There is no fear of God in front of their eyes.
19 Now we know that whatever the law says is addressed to those who are under the law, so that every mouth will be silenced and the whole world will be subject to God’s judgment. 20 For this reason, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law, for through the law we become aware of sin.
21 But now, completely apart from the law, a righteousness from God has been made known. The Law and the Prophets testify to it. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and over all who believe. In fact, there is no difference, 23 because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 Whom God publicly displayed as the atonement seat through faith in his blood. God did this to demonstrate His justice, since, in His divine restraint, he had left the sins that were committed earlier unpunished. 26 He did this to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so that He would be both just and the One Who justifies the person who has faith in Jesus.
27 What happens to boasting then? It has been eliminated. By what principle—by the principle of works? No, but by the principle of faith. 28 For we conclude that a person is justified by faith without the works of the law.
following which the Congregation will rise, out of respect
for the words of Christ, as we hear our Gospel Lesson
The Gospel Lesson Matthew 20:1-16
“Indeed the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing to pay the workers a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 He also went out about the third hour and saw others standing unemployed in the marketplace. 4 To these he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 When he went out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing unemployed. He said to them, ‘Why have you stood here all day unemployed?’ 7 “They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’
He told them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8 When it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last group and ending with the first.’ 9 “When those who were hired around the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. 10 When those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But they each received a denarius too. 11 After they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner: 12 ‘Those who were last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’ 3 “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not make an agreement with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last one hired the same as I also gave to you. 15 Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 In the same way, the last will be first, and the first, last.”
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. + And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; + Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; + Born of the Virgin Mary; + Suffered under Pontius Pilate; + Was crucified, dead and buried; + He descended into hell; + The third day He rose again from the dead; + He ascended into heaven + And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; + From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. + I believe in the Holy Ghost; + The Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; + The forgiveness of sins; + The resurrection of the body; + And the life everlasting. Amen.
The Children’s Lesson Ephesians 2:8
Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.
GRACE: “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”
— It’s Not “Fair.” Instead, it’s God’s Free Gift to You –
Hymn of the Day Hymn 379 “Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound”
1 Amazing grace — how sweet the sound– That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see.
2 The Lord has promised good to me; His Word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.
3 Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.
4 When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.
after which the Congregation will rise for
The Pre-Sermon Salutation
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord! May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
The Sermon Text based on Philippians 3:3-14
3 For we are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who
are confident in Christ Jesus, and who place no confidence in the flesh, 4 even though I have grounds for confidence also in the flesh. If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
7 But, whatever things were a profit for me, these things I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. 8 But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For His sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith. 10 I do this so that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 in the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
TAKING OUT THE TRASH….BLESSED BY GOD’S GRACE
The Post-Sermon Blessing
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, Who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, now encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts and Prayers to the Lord
We offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) Those in the chapel can place their offerings in the offering plates
2) You can send a check (no cash) in the mail to Grace Lutheran Church (415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)
3) Or, go online to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com) and use the giving option there.
Our Offerings of Love to our Lord
after the offerings are brought forward, the Congregation will rise for
Special Prayers for the Day
We include in our prayers this morning:
A Prayer of Intercession on behalf of brother in Christ, Tim Pfortmiller, who is seeking to recover his health and return to his home. Currently he is staying at the Jamestown Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in Rogers.
The Prayers for the Church
Master of the vineyard, look kindly on Your Church as we gather around Your Word and Sacrament today, that we might faithfully respond to Your grace by living fruitful lives for You here, until we live with You one day in heaven. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, You have called us by Your grace to work and live as citizens of Your kingdom. We humbly pray that You would graciously work to preserve and grow all of us in the saving faith that Your Spirit has established in our hearts. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, You have established all of the authorities on this earth. Bless all our public servants, especially our nation’s president, our senators and representative, our governor, our state legislators, and all our local governmental authorities……that they would fulfill their offices with wisdom and compassion, serving You faithfully through their service to us. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, we implore You to graciously give us all a spirit of contentment, so that we might truly be grateful for whatever blessings You choose to give us in Your infinite wisdom and mercy. We thank You for always doing what is right and best for us. Please give us the confident faith to know that You are always working, in all things, for our earthly and everlasting good. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Master of the vineyard, You have called us by grace to labor for You in Your vineyard. Give each of us the strength to labor well, and the joy to gladly serve You and others, keeping us ever mindful of the coming end of this world, when You will return to bless Your Church with relief from its labors, release from our sins, and the reward of everlasting life in heaven. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: Please hear our prayer.
Into Your hands we commend ourselves and all others for which we pray. Grant that we would look to You for every blessing and to Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for our salvation. Deliver us from all adversity, and preserve us in faith until the very end. Please hear us also, gracious LORD, as we take a few moments to silently offer You our personal petitions and praises.
A Moment for Silent Prayer
And finally, with all our prayers being offered in Jesus’ name, we also join in that special prayer which has been given to us by our Savior:
C: Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil; For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing
The Benediction
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The Closing Hymn Hymn 321 Savior Again To Thy Dear Name We Raise
1 Savior, again to thy dear name we raise
With one accord our parting hymn of praise.
Once more we bless thee ere our worship cease,
Then, lowly bending, wait thy word of peace.
2 Grant us thy peace upon our homeward way;
With thee began, with thee shall end the day.
Guard thou the lips from sin, the hearts from shame,
That in this house have called upon thy name.
3 Grant us thy peace, Lord, through the coming night;
Turn thou for us its darkness into light.
From harm and danger keep thy people free,
For dark and light are both alike to thee.
4 Grant us thy peace throughout our earthly life,
Our balm in sorrow and our stay in strife.
Then, when thy voice shall bid our conflict cease,
Call us, O Lord, to thine eternal peace.
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