Author: Higher Things

By Rev. Eric Brown

Think for a moment of the joy and wonder and peace that comes from knowing that you are forgiven because Christ Jesus.  Think on the fact that your salvation is secured in Him; that it doesn’t rest upon you, but rather is accomplished and won because Christ Jesus has died and risen for you, He has baptized you, He has called you – these are all historical fact that are real.  Whenever we see this, whenever we are focused upon this, it is astonishing again, over and over.

Now, consider what Jesus says of those who hate the disciples, who put the disciples out of the synagogue and even kills them.  “And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me.”  That peace, that joy that you have because Christ Jesus has died for your sins – they don’t know it.  They don’t know the Father as the One who loves you so that He would send Jesus for you; they think they must earn His approval by killing the Apostles.  Do you see how sad and desperate their lives would have been?

We today see wickedness in the world.  We see utter disdain for Christ Jesus and the Gospel.  We see folks who “let the Word remain, nor any thanks have for it” as Luther put it in A Mighty Fortress.  And often these folks will be horribly cruel to us.  And while our flesh would want to rage and be angry with them, perhaps pity is that we should feel.  They don’t know the Father, they don’t know Christ.

Therefore, the Apostles were sent to bear witness about Christ.  So that even those who hated them might learn and know that they are forgiven too.  It’s why we too today are determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified.  Even if they hate us and despise us, it cannot change the fact that we have peace in Christ Jesus.  Would that even those who hate us know this too – may God work repentance and faith in them by His Word and Spirit!

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.

By Rev. Eric Brown

What are the Scriptures about?  While there is a lot of information in the Scriptures that is useful for many things – History, Art, Ethics – what are the Scriptures about?  What is their point? 

“Then [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

When Jesus opens the disciples’ mind, when He pulls away all the other vain glories that they so liked to focus on, the point is this: Jesus died and rose so that you today could hear and know that your sins are forgiven.  Yes, you.  Right now.  You’re part of all nations.  The reason the Scriptures were written was so that the forgiveness Christ won could be proclaimed to you.

You are not incidental.  It is not a mere accident of fate or quirk of history that you have heard the Gospel.  No, this is precisely what God has had in mind – that you hear the Gospel of Christ.  That the Scriptures are written so that you would hear them.  That the Church exists so that you may go there and hear God’s Word and receive His gifts there.  Baptism was made for you.  The Supper was made for you.

Christ’s forgiveness for you this very day is always the point.  It always has been.  Doesn’t mean that there aren’t other things in the Scriptures that are good and useful and wonderful; there are.  But in the Church, it always comes back to the Gospel – to Christ for you.  That’s where we live, that’s where we literally have life and peace.  Our Ascended Lord is not absent from us, leaving us merely a dead letter full of useful facts – no, He has seen to it that His life-giving Word is proclaimed to you now, indeed to all the world, even until He returns.  And that is a wondrous thing.

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.

By Rev. Eric Brown

I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace.

This is how Jesus wraps up the lessons of John 15 and 16.  It’s striking – Jesus has told us this week that we will have tribulation, in the last few weeks He’s told us that we will have sorrow, that we will weep and lament.  Next week we’ll hear that people may very well kill us and think that they are service God.  Well, good night Jesus – this doesn’t sound too peaceful!

Which is the point.  All these lessons are Jesus preparing the disciples for life in the New Testament Church – in our day and age.  And you know what?  Life here in this world isn’t always rosy.  To be sure, there are times when it is grand, when we see clearly all those wonderful first article gifts that God gives us.  And then, there are times where it stinks on ice.  Where our life is anything but peaceful – rather it is wretched and mean and nasty and painful.

But note what Jesus said.  He didn’t say that in this world you will have peace.  He tells us that there will be tribulation in this world.  No, He tells us that IN HIM we have peace.  Whatever goes on in the world, you still do have peace in Christ.  This is true.  And in fact, whatever goes on in the world, Christ’s peace is still yours, because Christ has overcome the world.  The world did its worst to Christ – killed Him horrifically.  Yet He rose, and He says peace be with you.

The Christian faith isn’t that if we are good God will make everything in our life better.  The Christian Faith is that the world will never get the better of Jesus, because He has died and risen, and His Victory is yours, because He has given it to you in Your baptism, in the preaching of His Word.  And just as the world cannot keep Christ in the grave, in Christ the world can never do anything permanent to you.  You have victory in Him – and that is true peace, peace that surpasses anything that we can humanly understand right now.

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.

By Rev. Eric Brown

The Holy Spirit is called the Helper… or is it Advocate… or is it Comforter… or the Counselor. Well, what in the world is going on here?  Well, it’s this.  The word in Greek is “Paraclete” (which you may have noticed in LSB 500 “Creator Spirit, by Whose Aid”) – and that’s a big word.  A paraclete in the ancient world was the person who would stand alongside you (para) at a trial or a court case and talk to you.  Sort of what we would call today your defense lawyer.  He helps you, he advocates for you, he comforts and calms you down, he gives you advise.  Often in the Scriptures when we see the verb “exhort” or “instruct” it’s this the verbal form of this.

So, what does all this mean?  It means that the Holy Spirit is the one who uses the Word of God for your benefit.  That’s what a paraclete did – a paraclete spoke for your good and told you what you needed to hear.  And that’s what the Holy Spirit does – He takes the Word of God and applies it to you for your benefit.

Consider what we confess in the third article of the creed – I believe I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.  All those things the Holy Spirit does are Him using the Word for your good.  Often, that will be using the Law, to humble you or direct you.  But His goal is always the Gospel, bringing you comfort and hope in Christ Jesus – pointing you to Christ so you know that in Jesus you have the victory, no matter what trials you find yourself in.  And the Holy Spirit is quite good at His job.  He calls you, enlightens you, makes you holy and keeps you in the faith – all by the Word.

So, whatever term gets used for the Holy Spirit – it works.  He is the Advocate who Helps you by Comforting you with the Gospel and Consoles you by pointing you to Christ.  He comes to you by the Word whenever the accusations of Satan rain down upon you, and He reminds you that Christ has died for you, and so you are innocent because of Christ.  And that’s a great thing.

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.