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Continuing
LEHRE UND W EHRE
M AGAZIN FUER Ev.-LuTH. HOMILETlK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. XVI July, 1945 No.7
CONTENTS
Page
Christian Fellowship. C. August Hardt ............ _ ...... ______ .. ___ . _____ .. _ ......... 433
T he Lord's Prayer, the Pastor's Prayer. G. H. Smukal ........ _ .... _ .... 466
Outlines on Gospels Adopted by Synodical Conference ... __ .... _ ...... 473
Miscellanea ._ ... _ .... ___ ...... _ ....... _._ ........ ___ .. _ ...... _ .... _ ..... _ ..... _._ ..... __ ............... 483
Theological Observer ............... _ ..... _ ............. __ ....... _ ......... _ ........... _._ ....... _. 487
Book Review ... __ .. _ ........................ __ .. _ ..... _. __ ._ ....... _ .. __ ....... __ ... _._._ ...... _ 501
Em Predlger muss IDeM alleln lDe~
den, also dasa er dle Scbafe unter-
weise. wie ale rechte Chrlaten Bollen
MiD. sandem aucl1 claneben den Woel-
fen lDehTtm, dass .:;1 illE; Scl!nfe nieht
angreifen lDld mii falscher Lehre vec-
fuehren und Irrtum elnfuehren.
Luther
Es 1st kein Ding. du dIe Leute
mehr bel der KJrche behaeli denn
die gute PredIgt. - Apologle, An. 24
If the trumpet give an lDlCu!ain
sowul. who shall prepare h1mteIf to
the battle1-1 CC1f'.14:1t
Fublished for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Otbet" States
CO t;ORD PUB BING HOUSE, St.Louis 18, Mo
1"!'\rJ"~ IN TJ. s. a..
Outlines on Gospels Adopted by Synodical Conference 473
Outlines on Gospels Adopted by Synodical Conference
Sixth Sunday after Trinity
Matt. 18: I -V!
P eople usually give good care and treatment to things they
value. T rue, there are exceptions. But the successful farmer takes
care of his land; the mechanic, the housewife, and others take care
of the implements of their work. But another possession, our chil-
dren, who are given us by God, should receive special care and
treatment.
The Child That Is in the Midst of You
1. Do not despise it 2. Do not harm it
4. Be like it
1
3. Be good to it
In this sinful, ungodly world, children are often despised. Evi-
dence: some desire all the privileges of home life, but children are
an unwanted burden; some let their children grow up without
thinking it worth while to train them properly, to teach them
obedience and respect and manners; some do not think it worth
while to lead their children to Jesus, to have them baptized and to
teach them religion. Seventeen m illion children in the United
States are w ithout religious instruction. We are horrified at the
working parents who give their children the key to the door and
a dime for a hamburger and then let them shift for themselves. But
it is much worse to give the children an education for this life and
let the soul shift for itself. The Savior says : Vv. 10, 11. H e gave
the children His divine care and love. They, too, were lost. They,
too, are redeemed. They, too, have the hope of heaven. They are
precious in Jesus' sight. We should not despise them.
2
Nor should we harm them. Who would want to do that? Chil-
dren are usually protected and sheltered by their parents; and if the
parents fail, the state will intervene. Anyone who abuses a child is
punished. And yet the Savior says : vv. 6, 7. That is the greatest
harm that can be done to a child: to make it worse, to teach it to
sin. That is done by an evil example, by people who curse and use
dirty talk before children; by parents who lead worldly lives, who
worship Mammon, and who show disregard for God's Word. A ter-
rible punishment is threatened in the words of our text to those who
offend children.
3
Instead of harming children, we should be good to them, v. 5.
Often this passage is understood to refer to the adoption of a home-
47 '1 Outlines on Gospels Adopted by Synodical Conference
less child and to the support of orphanages. It indeed includes such
deeds of charity, but it refers to more. The Savior uses the same
expression that He uses in Matthew 25 when speaking of good
works. Jesus is pleased with every deed of kindness done to a
child. He regards it as done to Him. Those who show kindness to
children, who provide for the bodily needs and for the welfare of
their souls, who aid in mission work for children, are performing
a God-pleasing deed.
4
The disciples were concerned about the highest places in
heaven, v. 1. The Savior told them they would not even get there
unless they became different, humble people. So great must be
the change, by contrition and repentance, that it is like becoming
a child again, beginning life all over again. He illustrates His teach-
ing of regeneration by setting a child in their midst and telling them
to become like that child.
Such a great change is not easy to accomplish. One may have
to go a long way. One may have to break fr iendships and con-
nections . But the Savior says just that: vv. 8, 9.
That is Jesus' teaching about the child in our midst. If we want
our homes, our churches, our country to prosper, if we want
America to be worth the effort our men have made in the war, we
must give our children the care that the . Savior commands in this
text. Let us ask God for Christ 's sake to forgive our failings and to
mak e us more willing to do our full duty. FREDERIC NIEDNER
Seventh Slmday after Trinity
Matt. 18: 15-22
War is sin in action. Greed, hatred, jealousy, lie at the bottom
of all this mass murder.
But God has placed another force into this world to deal with
sin, to build where sin has torn down: Christian brotherly love.
Christian Brotherly Love in Action
1. It admonishes the sinning brother
2. It seeks to gain the sinning brothe1'
3. It forgives the sinning brother
1
A. Context. God's earnest desire to save souls is the setting
of this text. Children are the object of His love, Matt. 18: 11; they
should not be led into sin, Matt. 18: 6; they should not perish, Matt.
18: 14.
Outlines on Gospels Adopted by Synodical Conference 475
B. But also the sinning brother, one who commits a faith-
destroying sin, is still the object of God's searching love. He is
to be admonished; he is to be spoken to, not merely spoken of;
he is to be observed, not to be ignored.
c. God has established detailed procedure for brotherly love
in action:
Who is to deal with the br other ? First of all, the brother
who knows of the offense committed, then a small group of such
Christians, then the whole congregation of Christian brethren .
How is this to be done? So important is this matter that God
has carefully prescribed the details of the procedure, a procedure
which is the most likely to produce results. First, eye-to-eye,
where the possible hindrance of public interference is excluded
and the advantage of a personal, heart-to-heart talk can be fully
employed; secondly, by the joint pleading of a small group; thirdly,
by a step which employs the dignified seriousness of the whole
Christian congregation in the effort.
In what spirit is this t o be done? The sinning one is "thy
brother ." Only after everything has failed is he to be "unto thee
as an heathen man and a publican." Ther efore such admonition
is to be done "in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou
also be tempted," Gal. 6: 1.
2
A. For what purpose is such admonishing to be done? To
gain the brother, that is, to bring him to sincere repentance. The
aim is not merely to "pull the mote from the brother's eye"
(Matt. 7:4), nor to humiliate the sinner befor e men, nor to "get
even" for a previous insult, nor to get rid of him. Even where the
final step, excommunicat ion, is necessary, the aim still is to gain
the br other.
B. Since this is the noble aim, note the persistence which the
Lord prescribes. At least three definite steps of admonition are
to be taken, and these may be taken as often as there is hope
of gaining the brother. The combined effort of a whole congrega-
tion is finally to be employed 'for this purpose.
C. Since gaining the brother is the all-important purpose, the
Christian congregation is assured of the great power which it has :
Whatsoever ye shall bind, etc., v. 18. Such an act of a congrega-
tion is not to be compared with a society's dr opping a member from
the list or with a club's scratching the names of non-paying persons,
but the congregation is the medium by which God speaks to the
sinner about his soul's welfare.
D. Since the admonition by the congregation is of such im-
portance, it is reminded of the great power of prayer in this con-