LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1962, Page 6

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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 7

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS, Isaiah 66:2
President John W. Behnken, D.D.

Fettow REDEEMED, CO-woRKERS IN CHRIST’s KINGDOM:

Terrific disturbances have been holding the world
in their relentless grip. The cold war, the mad arma-
ments race, the rise of nationalism, the ever-increasing
inroads of atheistic communism, the enslavement of
nation upon nation—all these and other alarming
occurrences have caused practically unbearable tensions.

It is truly pathetic that the church of our day is
also affected by the era of tensions through which we
are passing. Some of the church leaders of different
denominations have felt constrained not merely to rec~-
ognize but also to warn against extremism, whether to
the left or to the right. Thus one of the men pleaded
that Christians avoid the temptation “to arbitrarily
classify a brother as an extremist or a reactionary.”
Another very conservative leader has stated that it is
his belief “that radical rightists have become so irre~-
sponsible in their accusations and blanket denunciations
that they hurt the whole conservative cause.”

Our church is not immune. We definitely must rec-
ognize this. Hence permit me, on the basis of the text
read to you, under the gracious guidance of the Holy
Spirit to answer the question:

With What Attitude of Heart Shall We Open
the Business Sessions of Our Convention?

I. With deep contrition and repentance;
II. With renewed genuine loyalty to God’s Word.

According to the words immediately preceding our
text God directed some very earnest and pertinent ques-
tions to the Children of Israel. He said: “The heaven
is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where is
the house that ye build unto Me? And where is the
place of My rest?”

The very questions indicate that one of Israel’s
grievous sins was pride and self-glory. They boasted
of the temple which they had built and of the sacrifices
which they brought. Now the Lord tells them in plain,
unmistakable language that they have no right whatso-
ever to boast. He says: “For all those things hath Mine
hand made, and all those things have been.” There
positively is no room for boasting. All this makes it all
the more striking and emphatic when God says: “But
to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and
of a contrite spirit.”

Does this mean anything to us? Does God today
make us face similar condemning questions? Have we
been guilty of boasting and self-glory? Do we read and
hear again and again about great growth in numbers?
About effective methods and techniques which we have
employed? About being leaders in various areas of
church work? About the progress in contributions, often
comparing ourselves with others? Are we building God’s
temple?

Surely there is nothing wrong in mentioning num-

bers and growth. The Bible does it when speaking of
the growth of the church, but it gives the Lord all the
credit and glory for the increase. Not we but God builds
His church. When we speak of it, may we learn to say
“by God’s grace,” “under God’s gracious blessings.”
In all of it let us ever remember that we are merely
instruments whom God deigns to use. The Lord knows
how weak and sinful and unworthy we are.

When we review our life and our work, must we
not confess that we have often failed most miserably?
As people whom Christ redeemed we should not live
unto ourselves but unto Him who bought us with His
staggering sacrifice on Golgotha. I have reference to
the sanctification, the personal godliness, which should
characterize our life. Oh, what horrible failures stare
at us!

Not one of us has been as faithful, eager, consecrated,
and aggressive in this service as God has a right to
expect of us. In our conversation, yes, in our whole life
and conduct, we should be living witnesses unto Christ.

The early Christians were such witnesses. The
enemies said to the apostles: “Behold, ye have filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine” (Acts 5:28). On another
occasion they said: “These that have turned the world
upside down are come hither also.” (Acts 17:6)

What would happen to our communities if every
member were a living witness unto Christ? What would
happen in our congregations, in our Districts, in our
Synod if every member were wholeheartedly interested
in the work of the church at home and abroad?

The deeper we enter into the matter, the more we
shall realize that we have every reason to approach
this convention with contrite and penitent hearts: con-
trite hearts, that is, hearts stricken with sorrow on
account of our sins; penitent because God permits us
to approach Him with a prayer for forgiveness and as-
sures us that with Christ’s blood He cleanses us from
all our sins.

Another attitude of heart which should be very
apparent today is a renewed and genuine loyalty to
God’s Word.

God told Israel that He would look to “this man,”
even to him that “trembleth at My Word.” The whole
context shows that God wanted a people to whom His
Word was a matter of supreme importance, a people
who respected and revered it above everything else,
a people who would cling to it and defend it against
all attacks.

Friends and co-workers, our beloved Synod was
organized 115 years ago. Anyone at all acquainted with
the history of that seemingly very lowly event, accom-
panied by ridicule on the part of liberal church people
who predicted that such an orthodox church body was
doomed to dismal failure—I say, anyone acquainted
with that history knows that our fathers trembled at
God’s Word.