# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S5
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 5 —

but it also adds: "There the Lord promises blessing and life for evermore." —

But, my dear brethren, we do indeed have a struggle behind us that has been crowned with the victory of a blessed concord; yet with that we have not yet entered the triumphant Church; rather we are still in the Church militant and suffering. What that pious hymn-writer sings therefore applies to us also:

And is one battle well fought through —
That is not yet enough!

Flesh, world and devil are and remain our enemies here below, and they will try now to disturb, indeed to destroy altogether once more, the fair work which God has begun among us. Already today, therefore, we must arm ourselves against these mighty and fearsome enemies.

But what above all will make us invincible? I know of nothing other than what the holy Apostle Paul declares in the text just read, in the words: "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine; persevere in these things. For if you do this, you will save both yourself and those who hear you." In these words the Apostle admonishes his dear Timothy first of all to take heed to himself and to the doctrine and to persevere in these things, and promises him that he will then save himself and those who hear him; but in so doing the dear Apostle at the same time makes known that whoever in his work in Christ's kingdom sets before himself above all the salvation of souls as his goal is thereby inescapably compelled to heed those three apostolic admonitions.

Let us therefore apply the words of our text today in such a way that we consider together:

How important it is that above all we make the salvation of souls the ultimate purpose of our common work in the kingdom of Christ.

According to our text this is so important above all for three reasons; for then we will

1. take heed to ourselves, and so be preserved from acting selfishly in our work; then we will

2. also take heed to the doctrine, and so be preserved from violating faithfulness to God's Word; and then, finally, we will

3. persevere in these things as well, and so be preserved from growing weary in the time of trial.