Sunday’s OT and Epistle—Proverbs 4:10–23; Gal 5:16–24

0:00Hello and good day and past your Gillespie from St. Johnnie Vangelical Lutheran Church in school. Sherman Center, random like Wisconsin. It's good to have you with us here on Saturday, September 5th, 2026. And as I announced yesterday, so we do today, we are going to look at tomorrow's Old Testament and a Pissol. Try to put them in tension with each other a bit, especially in contrast with the 10 lepers as well, which will be our gospel text for tomorrow, one that for some reason it's probably not doesn't seem quite as familiar to you as it does to me. I first, I don't know how many years of ministry, we would preach it twice a year, use it for the reading of Thanksgiving and for the 14th Sunday after Trinity. And consequently, having the reading twice a year, you do get quite familiar with it. Maybe even a little bit, bored. So we want to avoid that. And I'll do so tomorrow as well with the preaching. Try to

1:00look at various other writers in Lutheran and Patricia Khistory, Church Father history, and see what other aspects of the reading have they preached on that maybe I haven't been doing that more as of late. And try to bring some refreshment not only to my study, but also to the preaching for you. But today again, we're going to look at the Old Testament and a Pistil reading for tomorrow, Old Testament from Proverbs and the Epistle from Galatians and set them next to each other. All right. Let's begin. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, oh man, I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From then

2:06he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life of the lasting. Oh man, it's prayer is all for the weak. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long, for day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you

3:06at a time when you may be found. Surely in the rush of great waters they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with shouts of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule without understanding which must be cured with bit and bridle or it will not still stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast loves, surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice so righteous and shout for joy all you upright in heart. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen. All right, we finished out our wisdom yesterday. Of course we'll have more proverbs this time for a moment. Let's say our verse for the week then. You have been our dwelling place in all

4:11generations before the mountains were brought forth wherever you had formed the earth in the world even from everlasting to everlasting you are god. Psalm 90 verses 1 through 2. Catechism 10 commandments. First, commandment you shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear love and trusting God above all things. Second, commandment you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your god. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie or deceive by his name, but call upon it in every trouble. Pray, praise and give thanks. Right. So as we said, proverbs and Galatians next to it, proverbs is a father to his son and Galatians of course is a pastor to the church. I'll see some parallels I think. So first let's hear from proverbs. Hear my son and receive my sayings and the years of your life may be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in right paths when you walk your

5:15steps will not be hindered and when you run you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let go. Keep her for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it. Do not travel on it. Turn away from it and pass on. Where they do not sleep unless they have done evil and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. Where they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun. The shines ever brighter until the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. My son, give attention to my words and climb your ears. Ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. Where they are alive to those who find them and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it. Spring the issues of life. So with the heart we have the the way significant sections on the way there. Of course, evil and

6:19goodness. We'll see if there's a parallel to our epistle here from Galatians chapter 5 I say then walk in the spirit. Well, there it is. And you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh for the lust of the for the flesh. Loss against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, ludeness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. Of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, or excuse me, long suffering. There we go. Kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

7:23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So we do have the path. The path is probably what they have in common, isn't it? Let's see if I can make things a little bit smaller so we can try to get them all on the screen at the same time. We're going to try to do both here together. I don't know if I can quite make it. Let's just do this. Well, it's so close. There we go. All right. That's very small on the screen. I don't know if that's helpful. Anyway, we'll just leave it for the sake of argument. All right. For they are alive to those who find them in health to all their flesh. So I think the first problem or first challenge is that we might read these two texts side-by-side as advice. So again, Proverbs four is a father telling a teenager how to pick good friends and

8:29guard his heart. Galatians five, if it's advice is a checklist. 15 vices to quit, nine virtues to work on. Talk about vice in virtue yesterday, a little bit in a ban books podcast. So then go to work, right? If it's advice, but that's not really what either are saying. Solomon sets two ways before his son. So there in verse 11, you can see I have taught you the way of wisdom. I have led you in right paths. It says I have taught you the way of wisdom and led you in right to right paths or in right paths over against. Do not enter the path of the wicked, which we see there in verse 14. So he's not describing just simply bad choices. He's describing an appetite. Maybe that's how we should understand both readings. They do not sleep in this. They have done evil. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. So when we talk about loss or passions, we're talking about the desires, right? An appetite. Evil is their food. And then the road, of course,

9:35ends in blindness. They don't know what makes them stumble. Paul is describing the same appetite. I would suggest you. He says walk in the spirit. So we have that path notion and you shall not fulfill the loss or the appetites of the flesh or the flesh, lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. So something in you is hungry for what would kill you, according to Paul, and it does not sleep. So maybe that's a contrast. Is that in and proverbs it's talking about others, perhaps in Galatians is talking about the sinful nature itself. And I think the first thing to note here is that when we talk about flesh, we're not talking simply about the body. The that's the gnostic move is to separate body and soul. I don't think that's helpful here. C. John Chrysostom in his commentary on Galatians 5 says this. I think this will be helpful. He is want to call the flesh not the natural body, but the depraved will. It is the earthly mind,

10:36slothful and careless that he here calls the flesh. And this is not an accusation of the body or of the body, but a charge against the slothful soul. So actually by flesh, ironically he's talking about the body and soul together, the flesh is an instrument and no one feels a version and hatred to an instrument, but to him who abuses it. Where it is not the iron instrument, but the murderer whom we hate and punish. So think of it this way. Adultery, drunkenness, they use the body, hatred, jealousy, selfish ambition, dissentions, heresies, envy. They don't actually need a body at all. So how are they works of the flesh? You see, I think John Chrysostom was onto it there. A man can commit every one of them, hatred, jealousy, etc. Lying still in a hospital bed, not even able to move because they begin in the heart. Spangemberg, one of Luther's students, says it this way in his catechesis, flesh is quote, all that is born of the flesh, the whole man. So when we say flesh,

11:41the works of the flesh, we're not talking about part of you. We're talking about the whole of you that came from Adam. So this is why even Solomon's counsel and the Proverbs can't be about just choosing to do better. Think of what we'll read in Jeremiah. What we read in Jeremiah, 17, we're going to be in Jeremiah, 19 tomorrow. So a few weeks ago, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it. We could say the flesh as well. The heart, Solomon tells his son to keep is a heart that, left to itself, eats the bread of wickedness and calls it dinner time. The second thing that we might miss is the distinction of who's being written to here. Paul is writing to the baptized, not to outward or openly open sinners, but to the baptized. The fight he describes is a fight only the baptized can have. Some have taught like palegias

12:42at the time, four century, taught that for the Christian there is no contrary flesh left. But listen to what St. Augustine says on nature and grace, to whom did the apostles say the flesh lust against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh? He wrote this, I apprehend to the Galatians to whom he also says, he therefore that ministers to you the spirit and works miracles among you as he do it by the works of the law by the hearing of faith. It appears therefore that it is to Christians that he speaks to whom to God had given his spirit, therefore to the baptized. So he's talking about this warfare is happening up in Christians. I would suggest it only happens in Christians who have the spirit of Christ worrying against the works of the flesh. So this is a defect. This is not our nature. It's not how we were made from beginning. Or as the form of concrete says, there still remains also in the regenerate of rebelliousness of which scriptures speak the desires of the flesh against the spirit. So maybe say it this way,

13:44if the war inside you was proof that you are no Christian, which I don't think is the reading here of Galatians, then there would be no Christians left. A dead man does not struggle to breathe. So there is great comfort in this test. The struggle is a sure, quote, one of the apostles, I read, a sure sign to them that the flesh no longer has rule over the new man, but the spirit. In short, that they are pardoned children of God. You do not feel this war because God is far off. You feel it because he has moved in and the old tenant is fighting for against its eviction. Notice what Paul calls the two lists. The first art, the flesh has works, plural, a jungle that trails off and the like. The spirit has fruit singular, archipy plural. But Christosem saw it as a singular fruit. So he says not that the work of the spirit, but the fruit of the spirit, because

14:44it is because evil works originate in ourselves alone and therefore he calls them works, but good works require no, not only our diligence, but God's loving kindness works, are what you manufacture fruit grows on a tree because a tree is alive. So you don't get to decide to produce joy the way you get you decided to produce the lie. So there is a distinction made here. One is worked by us, running to the flesh, the other is worked by the spirit. Not according to us good and gracious will. So faith is bound to bring forth good fruit, but we should not rely on these works to merit justification before God. Fruit is not what justifies us fruit is a sign that the tree is alive. So coming back full circle, that means that Paul's nine fruits of the spirit, a fruit of the spirit, are not a to-do list. It is what the spirit grows where he lives. Love, joy, peace toward God, long suffering, kindness, goodness for your house and your neighbor, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control in your work. So the spiritual man is not a monk,

15:51isolated from others. He is the one whose hands and feet are busy all day, earning a living, yet his heart should be upright toward God in his neighbor. So the spirit's fruit, it grows in the barn and the shop and in the kitchen, or it doesn't grow at all because it is outward looking towards the neighbor. So what should you do if you don't feel this struggle, if you don't know this struggle? I said you might not feel it, but you certainly know it. Well, of course the scripture itself pricks that knowledge and you it informs the conscience. Luther says in the large catechism on, we believe it's on the sacrament of the altar, yeah, I know no better counsel than that they put their hand into their shirt to check whether they have flesh and blood. You can hear the Christian questions and their answers, right? And if you find that you do such a truce, then go for your good to St. Paul's epistle to the Galatians, hear what sort of fruit your flesh is or at least believe

16:52the scriptures. They will not lie to you and they know your flesh better than you yourself. But the fact that we do not feel our weakness just makes things worse. It is a sign that there is a leperous flesh in us that cannot feel anything. And yet the leprosy rage is and keep spreading. So we don't even know that we're lepers thinking of the ten lepers tomorrow, right? It's the worst symptom actually is the one that you cannot feel. Think about the one who finally has some discomfort and goes in and finds out that the cancer is spread everywhere already. This is the danger of feeling and relying upon feelings instead of being informed by God's word. So feel for flesh and blood, if it feels sick or not, then read Paul's list and believe that about yourself even if you feel nothing of the sort. And then go where the antidote is to the sacrament, the precious antidote against the poison that they have in them again on the sacrament of the altar. Trying harder,

17:54seeing this as a do list isn't going to cure you of your leprosy. It makes you cry out unclean and then sends you to the priest. All right. So then what about Solomon's direction here, where he says, keep your heart with all diligence for out of it, flow the issues of life. It's a direction, command even, right? And it's stronger than diligence. It means keep your heart above every guard post. More than any watch you had set. The heart is the spring. So how do you keep your heart that is deceitful above all things? Right? How can it be both? Solomon already told us why, keep them in the midst of our heart for they are they are life to those who find them in health to all their flesh. You keep your heart by what you keep in it or what's kept in it. Same thing with your mouth. You take heed to your mouth by what you put in what comes out of it. There's a lot of things going on there with the heart and the mouth. We're going to hear some of

18:55that tomorrow because I intro at Psalm Psalm 119 or 11. Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. Not I have watched my heart. I have hidden your word in it. So what the word does there is what Solomon is promising heart to all their flesh. The same word Paul, uses the flesh that lust against the spirit. The flesh in which nothing good dwells. The lepers flesh that cannot feel God's word is the medicine to that. Not you trying harder but rather his dwelling in you. So notice what he says in the epistle there and verse the last verse as well. And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. My Paul wrote it in the past tense. It's already been done when we crucify the flesh of course by being baptized in the water of baptism which is a likeness of the cross and his death, his entomment and his resurrection as is written. We've been joined to Christ and our baptism into him. Our old man was crucified with him that the body of sin might be done way with that we

20:00should no longer be slaves of sin. So those who are Christ do not crucify themselves. They were already put to death by him at the font. So the baptism that's at the heart here, whether you heard it or not before now you do the walk, the new heart, the worrying against the the flesh by the spirit. This is all the gift of baptism. But that does mean that we still need the law. The law is preached even to Christians that they may thereby be reminded to crucify their flesh with its passions and or affections and loss less they become secure for security abolishes faith and fear of God. So we're always trying to get off the cross. We're always trying to not be crucified with Christ, I suppose, is a way to put it. But the law keeps us honest. No. We the law crucifies us again, but it's the gospel of course that keeps us with Christ and and raises us to new life again over and over. And this is of course the daily dying and rising

21:00of baptism. So I actually like the way Ezekiel says it, which is a nice antidote to both well to proverbs and keeping directing us towards Paul's language, their engalations. I will put my spirit within you, says the Lord and cause you to walk in my statutes. You notice that? I will cause you to walk. God will set the two ways, the God who said his ways before Solomon, the two ways, Solomon's son gives us the feet. When you walk your steps will not be hindered. When you run, you will not be, you will not stumble as we see there in verse 12, because he's the one not only walks with you, but causes you to walk in his statutes. I think that's the key. All right. So let's just summarize real quick. You carry the old Adam about your neck and he does not sleep. You will feel him this week in the truck at the table and what you say about your neighbor who wronged you. That you feel him, the old Adam, is not a sign that God has left. It's the sign that the spirit

22:00has come and the flesh is fighting against his eviction. Do not consent. Do not feed it. But what you do not keep your heart by staring at it or trying, you keep it by what is put into it. And God has put his word there and his word is health to all your flesh. The flesh was crucified at the font. It hangs there with Christ and Rages and Vain. The path of the justice like the shiny sun, the shines brighter into the perfect day we heard there. Verse 18, not because your walking makes it shine, but because the day is coming and he began the work will finish it most assuredly, right? So hopefully that helps untangle a bit of what you read there. And obedience, of course, is a good word, but sometimes we take it to mean something more than what it is. Obedience is, of course, to hear God's word and to do it, which only his spirit can do in us.

23:02Of course, that's exactly the kind of thought or language that we use here in the hymn that we've been singing all week. Not I begin my task, O Lord, for you, but nor you with me begin my task. You will direct it. You will aid your counsel. You will bring about its blessing, etc. Giving all credit to God in Christ. So let's sing it. In your task, Jesus will direct it. For his faith and counsel us, Jesus will perfect it. In every more than Jesus' hearts, but when day is ended, in his name then close your hearts.

24:11Be to him, on that day. Let's each day begin with prayer, prayer, and our ration. On the Lord cast every care. Is your salvation warning, evening, how that's might? Jesus will be in here here. Save you from the attempt, first might, in his presence here. With your Savior at your side, close the not-all-heart you. In his promises, confide. And hear you, all your trust and hope repose. My team has stood, who hid wisdom truly knows, out his head, his has stood.

25:24If your task be the speakon, with the Savior's blessing, save them, your course will run. From this blessing, good will follow everywhere. Love you here, my swan-to. You had let's not joy will share, in love, and sing song too. The Swarches, us every task be to you, of and dead. Your will be passed until life is ended. Jesus in my name be gone, be the days in tougher. Front that makes me well be tongue, to your praise for ever.

26:33All right, we do have another set of commemorations today, and that's two together, actually Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were righteous before God, walking blamelessly in the commandments and statutes of the Lord. Zechariah, a priest in the Jerusalem temple was greeted by the angel Gabriel, who announced that Zechariah and Elizabeth would become parents of a son. Initially, Zechariah did not believe Gabriel's announcement because of their old age. For his disbelief, Zechariah became unable to speak. After their son was born, Elizabeth was named their son John, and Zechariah confirmed his wife's choice, and his ability to speak was restored. In response, he sang the Benedictus, a magnificent summary of God's promises and the Old Testament, and a prediction of John's work as forerunner to Jesus.

27:41Zechariah and Elizabeth are remembered as examples of faithfulness and piety. We pray. O God, who alone knits all infants in the womb, you chose, or you chose, yeah, improbable servants, old and childless, to conceive and parent the forerunner of Christ, and in so doing, demonstrated again your strength and weakness. Grant us who are, as unlikely and unworthy as Zechariah and Elizabeth, the opportunity to love and serve you according to your good and gracious will. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. Almighty never lasting God give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity, and that we may obtain what you have promised, make us love what you have commanded. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. We pray, Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you teach us to trust in you above all things, because you are the only true in living God.

28:45You love us and provide us with everything that we need for our life and salvation. Forgive us for making gods out of ourselves, forgive us for trusting in our works, money, pleasures, and anything in this world more than we trust in you. By your forgiveness, teach me to fear love and trust in you above all things, for you live and reign with the Father, or Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. Heavenly Father, you teach us to call upon your holy name in prayer every day. You promise to forgive our sins for Jesus' sake. You promise to work for our good through the suffering, sickness, persecution, and tragedies that we face. For Jesus' sake, forgive us for failing to pray, forgive us for cursing, for swearing falsely, for seeking help from Satan, and for lying or deceiving by your name. By your forgiveness, teach us to believe in your promises, and in every joy and sorrow of life to pray, praise, and give thanks to you. For Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen. We pray for faithfulness to the end, for the renewal of those who are withering in the faith, or have fallen away, for pastors, as they prepare to administer Christ's holy gifts, and for receptive hearts and minds on the Lord's day.

29:53We also pray this day with Brian celebrating his baptism. Pray for the household of our church, Dale and Pam, Dick and Jean, Julie, Angie, Jack and Patty, and Dennis. Pray for those ill-receiving treatment of recovering, especially Patty, Joe, Jim, Sheila, Gus, Vicki, Karen, Debbie, Dan, Dick and Norm. Pray for our homebound Sophie, Joan, Paul, Dolores, Ruth and Pauline. Pray for our mission of the month, Lutheran Bible translators. Pray for an intercession for Logan, for all women desiring children, and for Joanne and Bob. For all this, let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, that will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen. I thank you, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger,

30:59and I pray that you would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings in life may please you. For into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul and all things, let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. Let's see the comment in the chat about the prayer on the second commandment. I'm praying the, praying the catechism is a little bit challenging, although there's actually an excellent resource from higher things that we did back in the day when I worked for them, probably 20, I came out in 2019, something like that was before COVID, with prayers on each part of the catechism. Here are these ones I've drafted over the years. Teach us to call upon your holy name every day, in prayer every day, which is ironically what we're doing in the prayer, right? And then just talk about each part of Luther's explanation, but turn it into the form of a prayer.

32:04Forgive us, forgive us, right? Good. So with that, say, hello, and God, God's speed to you. Obviously, the emendorfers in the chat, my folks, Gus and I leaned on and Karen rose. Yes, you're welcome. Come to each day at about 9 a.m. I hope this is a help for you, especially if your parish uses the, it's sometimes called the historic or the one year series of readings, to consider, again, the path of the walk and to walk by the spirit, versus in contradiction, then to our own desires, our own appetites. And the resolution to the appetite is not striving alone as you heard in the sermon on Wednesday night. Yes, we strive, but we strive only because we've already been made Christ and his spirit dwells in us. And yeah, so go pay attention to Wednesday's sermon too, if you like,

33:04that will be helpful. It's a helpful compliment as well. God be with you all. Hope to see you in the morning at 9.30 for a divine service. And by we'll study to follow the, the, the comactic confession of Jeremiah and in Jeremiah chapter 19. All right. God be with you all. We'll see you tomorrow. We welcome you to join us for divine service on Sundays and Wednesdays. We offer Bible class and catacesis for youth and any interested adults. If this podcast is of benefit to you, please consider supporting the work of our congregation by going to sjrl.org and clicking the donate link. Join us to receive the Lord's Word and his gifts.