LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1962, Page 40

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40 DOCTRINAL-DEVOTIONAL ESSAYS

Pray, Missouri, with the voice of thanksgiving and
with the expectation of a great assignment. Do not
come to Him with puny prayers. He “is able to do ex-
ceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians
3: 20)

VII. Missouri Goes to Preach to the Pagan World

“And the word of the Lord came to Missouri the
second time, saying, Arise, go unto the pagan world
and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So
Missouri arose and went unto the pagan world, accord-
ing to the word of the Lord.” (See Jonah 3:1-3)

So then, brethren, it is a new time to take the
trumpet into our hands, put it to our lips, and sound
forth “the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:19;
Isaiah 61:2). Do not refuse, for we must not assume
that we shall still be honored again with the delivery
of the message.

Sound the message of the Gospel loudly, plainly,
urgently, with earnestness and with the emotion of one
beggar telling another beggar where to find food. Soft
words will not arouse a pagan world wrapped in the
shroud of spiritual death. Speak of sin and grace, not
with hushed whispers as though you were ashamed of
it; nor with hesitation as though you were not sure of it;
nor with coldness as though it were not urgent.

Preach “the preaching that God bids thee” — not
your opinions, your imaginations, your speculations,
your dissertations. “We preach not ourselves but Christ
Jesus the Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5). Do not try to
prove to the pagan world how God could make a fish
big enough and with a mouth big enough to swallow
a Jonah, nor how God is almighty enough to do things
that can be understood only by faith and because we
believe; do not even try to prove how truthful God is
to tell us no lies. Just preach “the preaching that I bid
thee.”

The sermon topic for Jonah was: “Yet forty days and
Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). Ours is:
“Repent, and believe the Gospel. The Lord is coming.
Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved.” (See Mark 1:15; Revelation 22:20; Hebrews 4:7;
Acts 16:31)

To slur over the declarations of His wrath is just as
untrue to God as to mumble about His great love in
Christ Jesus. But the overpowering topic of our wit-
ness is the Gospel of the God who “so loved the world
that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever be-
lieveth in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.” (See Jonah 4:1-3)

VII. Missouri Finds Receptive Hearts
“So the people . . . believed God,” and they said:
“Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn
away from His fierce anger that we perish not? And
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil
way.” (Jonah 3:5, 9, 10)
“So the people believed God,” and “He counted it to

them for righteousness” (see Genesis 15:6). “The men
of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this gen-
eration and shall condemn it; for they repented at the
preaching of Jonas.” (Luke 11:32)

This has been the experience of every true and faith-
ful herald of God’s grace: People believe God. They
not only believe Him, they act like they believe Him.

Missouri finds receptive hearts to the preaching of
sin and grace because this is the message of the only
true God, who turns away from His fierce anger over
sin to a free grace which forgives for Jesus’ sake.

Missouri knows the power of the Gospel. You
know it. You are under its power.

IX. Missouri Is Amazed and Mortified

“But it displeased Missouri exceedingly, and she was
very angry. And she prayed unto the Lord and said...
I knew that Thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow
to anger and of great kindness and repentest Thee of
the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech Thee,
my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to
live.” (See Jonah 4:1-3)

Incredible!

Missouri is amazed, angry, mystified, and miffed!
God has embarrassed Missouri! Imagine, Negroes be-
lieving the Gospel just like white people. Can you
beat it, those ignorant savages in New Guinea are
church members in our Synod, and they can’t even.read,
write, and certainly don’t understand the difficulties in
the Bible texts! The United Lutherans are prospering
in Tanganyika, and the Roman Catholics are under the
cross in Ghana! Incredible!

Lord, take us to heaven. We can’t take it any more.
We'd rather be with You in heaven than see You so
gracious to other people.

O blessed Lord, “merciful and gracious, longsuffer-
ing, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin” (Exodus 34:6,7), forgive us our inconsistencies!
Pardon us for our quarreling with Thee and Thy
abounding and abundant grace!

X. Missouri Stands Corrected

“And God said to Missouri, Doest thou well to be
angry? Should not I spare the pagan world, wherein
are millions of persons that cannot discern between
their right hand and their left hand?” (See Jonah 4:
4, 11)

“Doest thou well to be angry, Missouri?” “I have
loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).
Why are you angry with Me “because I show mercy to
thousands”? (See Exodus 20:6)

Missouri, God “will have all men to be saved and to
come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
Missouri, don’t you understand that you yourselves are
eleventh-hour conversions in My economy of grace?
“Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). You are Gen-
tiles. You are the evidences of My total and all-
embracing grace! Listen to Luther: “Would to God that