LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 51

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

DOCTRINAL-DEVOTIONAL ESSAYS 51

ture that is greater than yours. I can beat you.” And
he did. Paul came to Mars’ Hill with a wisdom that
was deeper than ever the philosophers of Athens had
fathomed. Paul had Christ, the highest Wisdom. When
the dawn of eternity comes, who will be standing there
with the banner of victory? Not Socrates, not Aris-
totle, but St. Paul, who beat the world of culture at its
own game because he had that culture which is invin-
cible, the culture of the Christ.

Our Own World

Let us make sure that we get the implications of all
of this for our own lives of victorious living. Let us be
very wary about staying in a world of tradition. I said
to you the other day, “There are traditional things
which we must keep.” But now don’t say a thing is
good because it is old, just as little as I want you to
say that a thing is good because it is new. Conversely,
we shall not say a thing is bad because it is old, nor shall
we say a thing is bad because it is new. Both extremes
are to be avoided. Let us not say a thing is good be-
cause it is “Missourian.” Yes, I will admit, I love many
good things that are old and have the name tag “Mis-
sourian” attached to them. Certainly! But the fact
that it came out of our Synod does not mean that, per
se, it is to be desired. There have been mistakes in
our Synod. Let’s admit it. There have been deep aber-
rations that were “Missourian,” which, we are happy to
say, have passed from the scene. Let us not keep tra-
dition merely for tradition’s sake.

Furthermore, let us not trust in a world of power.
Let especially the Americans remember the impotence
of power as we get closer and closer to the time when
our spacemen will be landing on the moon. The power
for victorious living is not gained by the power of man’s
armaments but through the power in the Word.

We add to this the warning that the church should
not look to the world of culture for its victory. Let us
remember that the world of culture is largely populated
with the enemies of Christ. The salvation of Athens
lay not in the wisdom of its wise men but in the wis-
dom proclaimed by Paul. The world of culture said
of Paul, “What will this babbler say?” (Acts 17:18).
They will say it of us.

Let us make sure we understand that the overcom-
ing of the world that surrounds us is an important ele-
ment in our victorious living. Let us say with Paul,
“We can do all things through Christ, which strength-
eneth us. The victory is ours.” If somehow this con-
vention has stabilized us, has drawn together the dia-
metrically opposed segments of our church, then this
convention is still a victory for us and not a valedic-

tory. If somehow, by the grace of God through the
Word alone, there has been given strength to the waver-
ing, hope to the despairing, certainty to those in doubt,
and light to those sitting in the shadows of fear, then
the Detroit convention of 1965 is still God’s benediction
to us.

Victorious Dying

And now I come to the close. “My sheep hear My
voice, and I give unto them eternal life.” Victorious
living ends in victorious dying. “I have a desire,” said
Paul, “to depart. I’d like to be rid of it all.” He doesn’t
say it in disgust. He doesn’t say, “I’m so tired of the
mistakes at Corinth. I’m so tired of running up to Ga-
latia and telling those people, those foolish Galatians,
to get some sense.” He doesn’t say that. He knew that
every trip on his missionary Journeys was necessary.
He knew that every word of his epistles to Corinth was
mandatory. But what he also knew was that the Lord
finally takes the pen from the hand of His spokesman,
His author, and lays it down for him. He takes from his
heart the beat that beat only for Christ. He takes from
the weary traveler’s body the life principle of the soul,
and the angels carry it to Abraham’s bosom.

What happens to that soul? “I have a desire to de-
part and to be with Christ,” says Paul. Now don’t mud-
dle my thinking with your speculations. Don’t mess
me up! What happens to the soul when I die? The
finite is incapable of the infinite, and I leave it to my
Lord what He does with my soul. All I know is that
I can stand right next to St. Paul, take his hand, and say,
“Let’s go in together. I, too, have a desire to depart
and to be with Christ.” The moment I die, I’m with
Christ. And don’t take that away from me, because
I still believe, on the basis of Scripture, that victorious
living, by the grace of God and the unmerited love of
my Redeemer, ends in victorious dying. Death opens
the door to the victory parade in heaven, where the
victorious King welcomes His victorious army back

home.
?

“Even so send I you.” Will you remember these
words? Let us, as we go home tomorrow, ever live in
the afterglow of Easter. Let the living Lord be our
Strength. Let the Word of God be our infallible tool.
Let the world of loveless men be our world of action. Let
“Faith Forward” be our motto. For the promise of
our Savior, victory in heaven, is our eternal destiny.
God grant His grace that the Holy Spirit may take the
simple words of these devotional essays and bring them
to fruition in the lives of those of whom the Good
Shepherd said: “My sheep hear My voice.” Amen.

And the grace of God abide with you all. Amen.