LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 82

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needed for you is the surpassing knowledge of Christ
Jesus, for only that can bring resurrection. Only Christ
Jesus.
Christ Jesus is your Lord, just as He is St. Paul’s, and to
know Christ is to turn aside from everything else, to turn
aside from evil, in yourself, and this world, to turn aside
from whatever gain you can make out for yourself. Saul
thought his persecution of the Church was offering
service to God (John 16:2). He did not know how evil such
work was. It had to be revealed to him, and so it was.
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). After
Saul met Jesus and was blinded, the same Lord Jesus told
Ananias to go and lay hands on Saul, for this Hebrew of
Hebrews would be the chosen instrument to carry the
name of Jesus before Gentiles, kings, and the children of
Israel. And then Jesus said, “I will show him how much he
must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15). And
suffer Paul would, for the sake of the name.
From then on, from the road and from his Baptism, all the
things Paul knew, all the things he had gained in life, he
counted as loss, they were no good to him at all, as they
were doing damage to him, and of course his sin was
damaging others, but he didn’t know it. It had to be
revealed by God, and it was. What he sought,
righteousness, he came to know only in Christ Jesus, and
it was righteousness that he received, through faith alone
in the same Christ Jesus. Everything else, everything he
had, everything he did, he counted it all as rubbish in
order to gain Christ and be found in Him. And he was in
Him, and he is found in Him. If you today think you have
any reason for confidence in the flesh, stop such
foolishness. Paul had more, and that was all trash. What
St. Paul wrote to the Philippians is preached to you. You
need to know again on this day where true righteousness
comes from, and where resurrection comes from, where

life comes from. All things come from Christ, who grants
you a share in his sufferings, that is, a share in what His
sufferings won. Christ Jesus knows you, your sins, even
greater than you do. You cannot discern the depth of your
errors or your hidden faults (Psalm 19:12), but some of
your sin you know, the thoughts and words and deeds of
which you are ashamed. They are all known to Him, for
He bore them all in the suffering of His cross. He shed His
blood for them all. He died for them all. He atoned for
them all. He died for you. For you were in Him on the cross
and are found in Him now. The power of Christ’s
resurrection is that all those sins, all that trash, remains
buried in the tomb, they are all forgiven, and the
resurrection of the Son of God is yours. He was delivered
up for our trespasses and raised for our justification
(Rom. 4:25), and this righteousness is yours as a free gift
from God the Father who counts you as righteous before
Him, not on your own, not through the law, but through
faith alone in the merits of His Son, Christ Jesus.
St. Paul knew and wrote that the righteousness of God
depends on faith, so he cast aside everything else. He
knew the power of the resurrection, the bodily
resurrection of the Son of God from the tomb. He shared
in Christ’s sufferings and will at the last day attain the
resurrection of the dead. Thanks be to God you know the
same. If like St. Paul you must suffer for the sake of the
name, you will do so without fear. You have the
righteousness of Christ. You have the power of His
resurrection, and on the last day, you, with all the saints,
will attain the resurrection from the dead. Because you
know. You know Christ Jesus. And the knowledge of
Christ is for all the world. What you know, who you know,
proclaim in your life, until the day when you, like St. Paul,
will be fully known, the resurrection day, to the glory of
God the Father.

Paul Testifies before Kings
ACTS 26:12–32

LCMS Fifth Vice-President Rev. Christopher S. Esget
68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod • August 1, 2023 • Matins
As Paul stands before the king, he has no fear. Because he
has already been in the true King’s presence. He has heard
the verdict from King Jesus. He is guilty. An answer is
demanded: “Why are you persecuting Me?”

But Jesus doesn’t give Paul what he deserves. He deserves
death. He gets life.

Jesus shows Paul who he is. A murderer. Murderers
deserve death.

It’s a life of profound joy, but not the sort of joy that looks
to win an election, secure a retirement, or build a
successful parish. Paul’s parishes are riddled with
divisions and false doctrine. His retirement is martyrdom.

Paul can’t see who he is until he was knocked to the
ground. Only in desolation can we see salvation.

The trajectory of Paul’s career goes from a rapid rise to a
difficult slog.

82 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2023 (68TH) LCMS CONVENTION

Convention Sermons