LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1971, Page 89

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MORNING DEVOTIONS 89

are washed away, and we are free — free for a new and
better effort. Happy day, because we cannot forgive
ourselves; only God, whose laws we have broken, can
do that. And there is nothing cheap about that forgive-
ness. You know the cost, you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus, That’s why that grace is always beyond our
understanding and why our song will never stop. We
are certain that God pardons, not because we deserve
His pardon but because He has declared Himself to be
a pardoning, reconciling Christ. So here we are con-
fessing together, “Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned
and done this evil in Thy sight.” Bringing this sacrifice
of a broken heart, we see our rags turned into riches
as He puts a ring on our finger and welcomes us into
His holy house to eat, drink, and be merry. And if it
means to you what it meant to Paul and David of old,
then you can’t help but sing an endless song: “O Lord,
open Thou my lips,” in endless song, and “my mouth
shall show forth Thy praise.”

I

It was not easy for Paul to sing an endless song.
There were all those perils, all those beatings and ship-
wrecks and stonings and toil and hardship and many
a sleepless night. Hungry he was, and often thirsty too
—and even the thorn in the flesh buffeted him by day
and by night. Yet he always sang. Oh, he would have
rejoiced to be relieved of some of these hardships. He
prayed for it. The answer was the answer of grace,
God knows what He is doing and why He permits us
to do what we do. People who are secure and stable
and undisturbed can grow fat, and soon the song is
gone as they die a spiritual death. That’s why Amos
could thunder, “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion.”

It is not easy for us to sing our song at times. Some-
times we would like to stop, to throw in the sponge. We
have no troubles like those of Paul. Many of our trou-
bles are of our own making. There is our small talk,
our little courage, our little sacrifices. Yet we do have
a hostile world with hostile people. But He never told
us it would be easy. He only sets before us today an
open door and promises grace for endless song.

He bids us lose our life in His song. When he issued
His invitation “If any man will come after Me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me,” he
added these words: “For whoever shall lose his life for
My sake shall save it,”

II

Why is it Paul could always stay singing? Why was
he always confident? He knew he was not alone. Three
times Paul says it as he thinks of his struggles: “We
do not lose heart”; “Therefore we never cease to be
confident”; “We are confident, I repeat.” And why?
Because Jesus was alive. God had raised His Son to
life. It was no dead king that met Paul on the road to
Damascus. It was not a dead king that loosed the
shackles at Philippi and sent him to be beheaded. No
dead king that sent Peter to death on a cross. That’s
why Paul and all the rest never lost heart. Opposed,

arrested, beaten, jailed — they knew no discouragement.
Jesus was alive! The stone had been rolled away, not
so Jesus could get out but so the disciples could look in.
And we've looked in. And we know we have no dead
king today. He who centuries ago took men and made
them both recipients and channels of His grace can do
so today. And as you and I make music for Christ, we
know we are not alone. The same J esus who before His
ascension gave the commission to go into all the world
and make disciples also promised, “Lo, I am with you
alway,” and prefaced it by saying, “All power is given
unto Me in heaven and in earth.”

It meant more. Because He lives, we too shall live.
He had promised, “Where I am there shall also My
servant be.” And Paul’s eyes were on that goal. Trou-
bles would be short-lived. The eternal glory outweighed
them. What did they have to lose? Their lives. One
day they would lose them anyway, and then would
come the glory. First the cross, then the crown. There
would be a final victory. There would be victories now,
but the final victory was assured. That gave meaning
and purpose to all of life. “No wonder we do not lose
heart... . Our troubles are slight and short-lived, and
their outcome an eternal glory which outweighs them
far.” That means heaven, where in His presence there
will be fullness of joy forevermore. The world may
scoff at our song today. But tomorrow will come. Of
that we are sure. On Good Friday they scoffed at Jesus.
But had they ears to hear, they would have heard the
victory of that cry, “It is finished,” and seen the thorns
of His crown turned into diadems of glory. And so our
eyes are fixed not on the seen but the unseen.

And our song today has a purpose. The goal of our
Singing is to have others join us in this song. That will
make the song all the better —for “As the abounding
grace of God is shared by more and more, the greater
will be the chorus of thanksgiving.”

This text speaks to us of great stakes — the mighty
alternatives of endless life with Christ in heaven or
without Him in hell. This is what made then and makes
today our song an endless one—as we work never
giving up, with zeal and energy. We want that heavenly
song to be thunderous and others to join us in it— even
in this life singing lustily with millions of others, warm-
ing up for heaven’s concert in praises that ring out.
And we know the only way people can get there, you
and I and everyone else — there is only, only one way!

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed
With joy shall I lift up my head.

An endless song indeed! Joy in song was there at
the beginning when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons shouted for joy; and joy at the end—
“Blessing and glory and wisdom and power and might
be unto our God forever and ever.”

But that final song needs to be rehearsed — now,
If you and I are going to sing it in heaven, we had
better sing it together now. Heaven begins right here —

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