Apology of the Augsburg Confession

The Second Confession of the Faith

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Apology of the Augsburg Confession

Justification

In the remission of sins, the terrors of sin and of eternal death, in the heart, must be overcome, as Paul testifies, 1 Cor. 15, 56 sq.: The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, sin terrifies consciences, this occurs through the Law, which shows the wrath of God against sin; but we gain the victory through Christ. How? By faith, when we comfort ourselves by confidence in the mercy promised for 80] Christ’s sake. Thus, therefore, we prove the minor proposition. The wrath of God cannot be appeased if we set against it our own works, because Christ has been set forth as a Propitiator, so that for His sake, the Father may become reconciled to us. But Christ is not apprehended as a Mediator except by faith. Therefore, by faith alone we obtain remission of sins, when we comfort our hearts with confidence in the mercy promised for 81] Christ’s sake. Likewise Paul, Rom. 5, 2, says: By whom also we have access, and adds, by faith. Thus, therefore, we are reconciled to the Father, and receive remission of sins when we are comforted with confidence in the mercy promised for Christ’s sake.

Dear Baptized,

Each of us confesses that Jesus is Lord and that God rules! Very often, however, our lives seem to display small evidence of such faith in the Triune God. This is due to a couple of reasons. First, since Christians are, at one and the same time, saints and sinners, the sinner is constantly at war with the new creation that we are by the grace of God. Another reason is the truth that the Lordship of Jesus and the Kingdom of God is largely hidden from view. If Jesus is the victorious King of the universe, they why don't we see much of it around us? Why is everything so veiled?

For example, in the Lord's Supper we receive, in addition to the common bread and the simple wine, the very Body of the Incarnate Son of God and the very Blood that He shed on our behalf. The clear words of Jesus indicate to us that this is neither symbolic nor representational. We believe what Jesus said, "This is My Body. This is My Blood." However, to our eyes and to the eyes of a microscope, there is only bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Altar. The truth seems so hidden to us, so veiled and seemingly, not there or not here. That veiledness is uncovered in today's Gospel Reading. Please listen to it once more under the theme of ...

... "Has Your Boat Been Rocked?"

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

Thus far the Word of the LORD our God.

It had been a full day for Jesus. There had been much teaching and healing as the people clamored around Him with their many requests and needs. The disciples had assisted in whatever ways they could, but it was Jesus Whom the people wanted. They needed Him - His Word at which both physical and spiritual ailments found comfort and cure. And now, after a hard day's work, evening had come. Our Lord was ready to move on to another area. There were other places and many people who needed Him.

The Christ always knows of, hears, and responds to the calls and cries of His own, as well as the unreached and the untouched. He knew of the need to bring the Word to other areas of distress and ignorance. So Jesus left the crowd and went with His disciples. They took Him along with them in a boat. The fact that He was weary and tired demonstrates that He was truly human, and soon, the Creator of the Universe was asleep in the stern of the boat.

Like the disciples of old, we can take Jesus along with us without a full awareness of Who He is, what He is doing, and why He is along for the ride. In other words, we can hear the Word about this Jesus, but lack the full trust that would lead us to bow to Him as Lord, Savior, and King. This is one of the reasons for this episode being recorded in Mark. So let us get in the boat, join the disciples with Jesus, and learn anew what manner of Man this is.

First of all, we must remember that a large number of the disciples were fishermen - completely at ease with all that was involved in navigation on the lake. They let Jesus fall asleep. Jesus was the foster son of a carpenter and they were fishermen. He might show them a thing or two about the use of a wood plane or a draw knife, but they were the fishermen. They knew wind, sun, water, currents, and navigation. They probably felt confident of their ability to handle the boat. There was no apparent reason to bother Him when He had less expertise than they did, when all was going well, and when everything seemed so under control. "Go ahead, Jesus, take a rest. We don't need you with this business."

Isn't this quite typical of the way we are? Life is so compartmentalized. As long as we seem to have matters in hand we are willing to let Jesus sleep off in a corner. We want to control the rudder of life and determine our course in the lake of life. Now, of course, as Lutherans we want Jesus there, but in such a way as if to say, "Don't call me Jesus, I'll call you." When we are in smooth sailing, you and I can easily fall into the satanic trap of stowing Jesus below deck.

So the disciples let Him sleep. After all, He had worked hard and deserved some time off. Jesus, however, has a greater purpose than going along for the ride or being a part-time Lord to a half-faithful following. Then it happened -- on that calm lake a great storm of wind arose. The intensity of it was fierce. The waves were whipped by the wind and beat against the boat. Soon the waves were coming in over the sides of the boat and the small vessel, getting smaller with every wave, began taking on more and more water.

And so it can be for anyone in this world. Things seem to be going smoothly - without a care at all. Then blows-in the storm of a lost job at the mill, the loss of a loved one upon whom you relied so much, the loss of a son or daughter to a cult, a deteriorating physical condition, some mysterious symptoms, or the betrayal of a close friend who has been doing nothing for years but betraying you. Perhaps your boat is rocked by the waves of alcohol or drug addiction. Whatever it is, you find that you are no longer in control of your own life - you have lost your rudder. All you can do is hang onto the edges of the boat, wondering how long you will be able to stay afloat. How great the storms of our lives can become, almost to the point that it seems we will most certainly perish.

Such was the condition that the disciples found themselves. The storm came in the providence of God. The LORD God, in Whose hands are all the forces of nature, permitted the storm to come. The peaceful sleep of Jesus is due to the perfect absence of fear in His heart and to His absolute trust in His Father's care. The tossing of the boat, the scrambling of the experienced fishermen, the uproar and the danger did not disturb Him or awaken Him. In their moment of anguish the disciples recalled that Jesus was with them.

That's not a bad thing to do. It's like knowing the answer to the $64,000 question and having an opportunity to tell it. When a storm comes into your life - whether you are in the midst of it today, or if that storm is simply on the horizon for you - recall the truth that the Lord Jesus is with you. Call out to Him. He invites you to do so. In the psalms He tells us, Call upon Me in the day of trouble.

The disciples called out to Jesus to wake up and save them. Completely at the end of their own resources and abilities they now throw themselves upon Jesus as their only hope. At this point they forgot about His humanity and the fact that He probably never sailed a boat. They relied upon His Divine ability to help them. They asked, Teacher, do You not care if we perish? What a tremendous question. It's so natural for us to ask it. Haven't we all, at some time or other, raised similar questions to God? "Don't You care, Lord, what happens to us? How could You let this happen? Are You really in control? Don't You care if we perish?"

To these questions, the Lord responds, "I care enough to get into the boat with you. I am Emmanuel." Precisely because He does not want us to perish, He leaves His own Paradise above and comes into this world. Lord, do You not care if we perish? He answers with the great drops of Blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. To the question, do You not care if we perish?, He extends His hands to receive the hammer blows of the Law and suffers under the Divine reaction to and wrath against all the sins of all the people, yours and mine included. And to the question when asked amidst grieving eyes at the graveside of a loved one, do You not care if we perish?, He answers with an Easter morning Resurrection.

But some might reply, "that was then; this is now." How can we be sure He's here? He's hidden - veiled in the theology of the cross. He's out of sight, placed into a cubby-hole compartment of our lives. We have stowed Him into the corner, and we wonder if He will want to help. Does He want to help? After all, we have put Him off into the corner of our lives until we need Him. Doesn't it seem that He would look at us and say something like, "Oh sure, you miserable, thankless creature. You go off on your own until you get in over your head and then you look to Me for help." That is what we might expect because that is the way that we often operate. That is the answer that you and I might give if we were in His position. But consider what Paul wrote: If we are faithless, He remains faithful -- for He cannot deny Himself. God does not tire of us calling to Him. He will remain faithful to His promise of forgiving us and being with us -- no matter what.

Can He help? The answer points to the type of Man He really is. Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea,"Peace, be still!" And you do know what happened. The wind ceased and where there had been a great storm, there was now a great calm. The Peace of God had spoken. Jesus, by the power of His Word, was able to quiet the wind and calm the stormy waves. That's the Divine power of this One called Jesus. His action also reveals His intent.

What manner of Man is this? Jesus wanted them to know. He wanted them to trust that he could handle the problems and situations that His followers (you and I) are confronted with every day, confronted with on rare days, and that His intent for His people is good. They would need to recall in troublesome times, just as we must as well, to recall what Jesus is able to do.

Can He help? Is He willing to help? These are questions asked throughout history and ages and civilizations. We worry because, if we encounter a situation out of our control, we reason that it must be out of God's control as well. While the disciples communicated their fear to Jesus, He communicated to them the peace and the power of God Almighty.

They needed to trust that he would do what was best according to the will and the plan of God the Father. He wants us to learn that in the midst of the storm He will be there for His people, among whom are you and I. Perhaps it is hard for us to see a blessing when the winds and the waves of crisis are all around us. As the boat rocks, are you more inclined to complain than to praise. I know I am. Maybe we should look at the storms in our lives as a blessing. With water breaking in over the sides and the boat being rocked, this will move us to seek help from God. And we will discover that God can help.

The God-man, Jesus Christ, went to the cross to atone - to pay for our sins and rose again to ensure victory. He won't leave us alone and He won't let us down. He does, however confront His disciples, not only with storms, but also with the question: "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Do you look more to the storm which is visible and temporary, or to the Lord Whose presence is unseen and Who is eternal. Do you look to the bread and wine, or the Body and Blood of our Redeemer? It is my prayer that each one of us will, with the eyes of faith, behold the Savior Jesus when we have both smooth sailing and when our boat is being rocked. And the followers of the Lord feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" This is He would forgives you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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