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᛭ INI ᛭

We’re heading down the mountain of Transfiguration with Christ. We’re journeying toward the valley, which we liturgically call Lent, and we’re trekking toward the other great mountain of the Bible: Calvary, where Christ our Lord was crucified. Over the next three weeks we’re given the chance to “Listen to Him!” as we take up the three main mantras of the Reformation: Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura—by grace alone, by faith alone, by Scripture alone. This week is “Grace Alone.”

Grace is something that we have a hard time with as sinful human beings. Our sinful flesh makes it so we don’t get it. We don’t grasp God’s gracious favor toward us in Christ, either for ourselves or for others. But it’s not just that we can’t completely comprehend it with our minds, or that we fail to fully and fervently feel it in our hearts. Sinful human beings also sorely abuse God’s gracious favor in our Lord and Savior IHS Christ.

So, today we listen to Christ’s “Grace Alone” parable of the workers in His Vineyard. When we listen, what we find is this:

THE LORD “PAYS” NOT BASED ON WORKS BUT ON HIS GRACE.

(II.) A true believer in Christ trusts this, trusts that he’s saved by “Grace Alone” and is daily renewed by the same. But before I get to that, let’s deal with the fact that (I.) your flesh is an enemy of God and an abuser of His grace in Christ.

(I. The Flesh is an enemy of God and an abuser of His grace in Christ.)

God’s very clear that our human nature, our “flesh” as His Word calls it, is His enemy. We’re conceived sinful (Ps 51), we’re born under the wrath of God (Eph 2), and “every intention the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually.” (Gen 6) Human beings aren’t neutral when it comes to God. We’re under the power of the devil, “the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Eph 2), and that’s who we are unless Christ claims us as His own. Yet, even once we’ve been brought to faith by the Spirit, our flesh remains. It remains an enemy of God and an abuser of His grace. “The flesh does not submit to God’s Law, because it can’t!” (Rom 8:7)

The flesh is God’s enemy and abuses His grace. This happens in unsuspecting ways. For sure, it’s living an unholy life, wildly living in and loving sin. But our parable reveals a few other ways that the sinful flesh chooses to fight against God and to abuse His grace.

First, our sinful flesh tricks us into thinking, “Well, I’m not that bad. In fact, I’m pretty good. I do a fairly good job all things considered. Sure, I’m not perfect, but no one is. So, I’m doing my best, and that’s what counts. And my best is certainly better than so and so.” This is why we don’t get God’s grace, and even why sinful society is consumed by ideas of fairness, equality, and equity. As the workers complained in our text: “These last worked one hour, and you make them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and its heat.”

Because we think we’re not too bad, we don’t believe we need forgiveness like we actually do, or don’t desire the LORD like we should, or don’t pray like we should, read our Bibles like we should, or uphold Christ’s Sacraments like we should. Since we think we’re nice enough, we behave like we merit God’s grace even just a bit, or we’ve at least done a better job than someone else, so they earn less and we earn more. Problem is: Christ says, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5) “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.” (Prov 21)

Second, our sinful flesh tricks us into the vice of laziness, which abuses God’s grace in Christ. It says, “I don’t need to do anything.” This mindset lets others live in sin, too. “Who am I to judge?” we think. Maybe we let ourselves continue to sin against God, “No one can judge me.” Thus Christians don’t behave like Christians, abusing God’s grace, using Christ’s death and His forgiveness as an excuse to keep living however we want. “I don’t need to change. God loves me just the way I am.” Which is true, if it means God loves you in spite of your many sins. But it’s horribly false if it means God lets you live in whatever sin you want. The interstate to hell has many billboards to that effect…

(Transition.)

Because of our sinful condition, Christ’s “Grace Alone” parable is a hard parable because (I.) your flesh is an enemy of God and an abuser of His grace in Christ. But thanks be to God,

THE LORD “PAYS” NOT BASED ON WORKS BUT ON HIS GRACE.

(II.) A true believer in Christ trusts this, trusts that he’s saved by “Grace Alone” and is daily renewed by the same.

(II. A true believer trusts that he’s saved sola gratia and daily renewed by the same.)

Christ’s “Grace Alone” is on display in the parable. Those who worked one hour in the parable got paid for 12 hours of work. Those who worked 12 hours got paid for the same. From one hour, maybe a bit less, until a full 12 hours all got paid 1 denarius. The wage for one full day’s work.

In the same way, “when we were still without strength, Christ died for the ungodly,” (Rom 5) “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5) Christ died for you before you were even born. There was nothing you could do to earn it, for it was done before you, your parents, your grandparents, even your great-grandparents could do anything! Not only that Christ founded this congregation right here so that you (and your forefathers) would be baptized, to be brought out of the domain of darkness and into His kingdom. (Col 1) Christ didn’t give what you or your ancestors deserved, but instead paid out His righteousness generation after generation, after He shed His precious blood on your behalf.

Christ’s grace has had nothing to do with what you do or have done, or coulda, woulda, shoulda! It’s anchored firmly in the “tender mercies of our God,” (Lk 1) and the fact that your Lord IHS Christ is “the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.” (Rev 13) And this grace in Christ is on display when He dies for your sins. But His undeserved grace alone and free forgiveness is also what renews and strengthens you in your faith and behaving like a Christian.

“By the grace of God I am what I am,” Paul confesses. (1 Cor 15) His being a godly apostle had nothing to do with his flesh. Same for you in your vocations. Your flesh daily is an enemy of God’s grace in your daily life, and you should treat it that way! It’s possible to fall away from God’s grace into self-righteousness or sinful living or spiritual laziness and death. That’s why Paul says today, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.” Human pride rejects God’s grace and godly living, but for those who have the Spirit, those who are Christ’s by baptism through faith, God’s grace and the Holy Spirit awaken and strengthen new impulses, no longer driven by the devil but rather ridden by Christ and His Spirit.

For we are nothing—do nothing!—without God’s gracious favor and the Holy Spirit. Separating ourselves from Christ and His Word and Gifts is like expecting a cornfield planted in the desert to grow. But united with Christ through faith, partaking of His gracious favor and the forgiveness of sins in things like reading your Bible or taking to heart the preaching or receiving Absolution or Communion, you will be constantly renewed and strengthened and become an instrument of the Spirit, as you work in Christ’s vineyard as godly spouses, parents, children, farmers, workers, teachers, students, whatever. Absent these things, you produce nothing but evil before God, no matter how well behaved you may look. It’s not a matter of merit, just a consequence of behavior.

(Conclusion)

Today Christ is crystal clear in His “Grace Alone” parable:

THE LORD “PAYS” NOT BASED ON WORKS BUT ON HIS GRACE.

Your sinful flesh despises this. (I.) It’s an an enemy of God and an abuser of His grace in Christ. But thankfully it’s true in spite of our flesh. (II.) A true believer in Christ trusts this, trusts that he’s saved by “Grace Alone” and is daily renewed by the same. Such believers do not despise the Grace of God, but confess with Paul, “By God’s grace I am what I am.” He was a godly apostle, and you are, by God’s grace and Holy Spirit alone, godly in whatever place you have in life. Apart from grace you aren’t.

Because THE LORD “PAYS” NOT BASED ON WORKS BUT ON HIS GRACE, and the flesh hates this but your renewed spirit loves it, the Christian Questions finish up with this question: what should you do if you are not aware of this need and have no hunger and thirst for the Sacrament? To such a person no better advice can be given than this: first, he should touch his body to see if he still has flesh and blood. Then he should believe what the Scriptures say of it in Galatians 5 and Romans 7.

᛭ INI ᛭