Jacob Hercamp – Page 13 – What Does This Mean?

Words that Carry Weight

Encore Post: Perhaps you can think of a time when you received some words with weight behind them. I remember the words of the pastor who announced to the congregation that my wife and I were married. Perhaps you have had similar words spoken. Maybe they weren’t words of great joy but maybe they were those heavy words from a doctor saying you had cancer. Or you can remember back in high school how the gossip got around. That old lie we tell ourselves: Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Words definitely carry weight. Some good weight and others much worse.

And so it is with Jesus. He is preaching the Word given Him to preach. We were told what this Word was last week in his first sermon, right out of the prophet of Isaiah. He was anointed to preach good news to the poor. He preaches with authority unlike any people of the towns had seen. And His Word carries weight! And His Word is effective!

Jesus’ word has power. You might think it odd, but have you ever read the bible out loud to yourself? To hear the words, reverberate into you own ears. Paul makes the connection to faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ.

In a manner like Peter’s mother-in-law, you have been raised back to life by the word of Jesus. You were dead in your trespasses and sins. But by the power and authority of the Word of Jesus you are made alive. You were called by the very Word of Jesus at the moment of your Baptism. The very Word which was preached and proclaimed to the demon was said to you. “Out you unclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Spirit.” You were dead in trespasses and sins, held in captivity and slavery of sin, death, and Satan. And Christ speaks a mere word from the cross, “It is finished.” The time of slavery is finished, the time of death is done. “It is finished,” says your Lord and Savior Jesus.

And He speaks life into you, calling you to a life of faith in Him. Clinging to the promise and pledge that by his life, death, and resurrection, we too have the same resurrection. You have already been raised to a new life by Baptism where He speaks to a very wonderful Word carries real weight!

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

Inerrancy: What Does It Mean?

Encore Post: Inerrancy means to be without error. If the Bible contains errors then what use is it for us and our salvation? How could we find the errors? What would be true, and what would be erring? If one thing is wrong in the word it might as well be thrown out entirely.

This is what we get with Higher Historical Criticism of the Bible. If the words written on the pages of the Bible are not truly God’s word then certainly the words there are riddled with errors because they were written by men. The Bible was questioned even in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. For a much greater overview , I highly recommend you take an opportunity to read the newest book by David Scaer where he lays out these things as they were happening inside the Missouri Synod’s St. Louis Seminary in the 1950s, leading to the walk out of its liberal faculty in 1974.

One place that people said even Jesus erred in the Bible was when he gave the saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 10:23-26) Those with the view that Jesus erred would say that Jesus had no idea of germination. It was always assumed that it died but now science has shown otherwise. They claims Jesus didn’t know this. But all that does it show their cards when it comes to understanding Jesus. They think He was just a man and not God in the flesh. But the Bible tells us otherwise. And besides, those of the errant view did not care to see what Jesus was doing in the verse before it. He tells the the people, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus is talking about his death on the cross and his resurrection. He is speaking about your salvation, not about the science of how a seed germinates and the like. He effectively says, “I am the seed that must die in order to bring life to you who believe in me.”

But if we take seriously the words of John 1, that Word was Made Flesh, we should take seriously the words which are recorded for us in the Bible because that word speaks of Jesus. For He is the Word of the Father, and that Word has been glorified for us by his incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, for our salvation.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

The Need of a New Heart

Encore Post: God used Moses to give his people the Lord’s Law on Mt. Sinai. It was the Lord’s holy will for Israel. And in effect, the way that Israel was called to live was to serve as an effective witness to the nations that surrounded it. Their way of life was to point to the Law of the Lord and bring life to the nations. That is why that he calls us to teach our children and their children. I think that is a call to remember the 3rd commandment because on the sabbath day Israel was to remember what the Lord had done for them and their salvation (Exodus out of Egypt). The generation with Moses were either eye witnesses or they were the generation that followed the eye witnesses of those events.

Israel was told not to forget the things they had seen, lest they lose life. But the problem was that Israel had a bad heart. And that is our problem too. We don’t listen and take to heart what the Lord our God tells us. If we look long and hard at our own hearts, or better yet, let’s let God talk about our heart. According to Him, we have a heart of stone. Israel could not be the witness the Lord called them to be, and neither can we. We utterly fail to walk in the way of the Lord. And we can’t make our hearts of stone alive. We need a new heart.

Dear Christian, you have been given a new heart, a new spirit.. This happened at your Baptism. This heart is made in the image of the One, the Word made flesh. Jesus walked in the ways of the Lord our God, His Father. He walked in the statutes and laws of His Father on your behalf. It was through Him and by Him that the nations learn of the mercy of God. And because of this wonderful One, Jesus Christ, you have life everlasting. Your heart is made alive in Christ, through baptism into His name. There at those baptismal waters you were made God’s child. He made Himself your God. And in and through Christ you certainly and do keep the laws and statutes of your Heavenly Father, for He has done them for you. And now we want to walk in His Way which leads us to life everlasting.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

See Also: The Law of God is Good and Wise | Fence, Mirror and Guidebook | What is Baptism? | Baptized into Christ’s Body | Sabbath as Day the of Salvation

The Four Ways of Interpreting Scripture

Encore Post: Pastor Smith has spoken a little about the four fold sense of interpreting Scripture. The Alexandrian theologians (at least some of them) followed this four fold sense method. Antioch held just to the literal or historical sense.

Those four are: Literal, Allegorical, Tropological, and the Anagogical senses. Below, I will try to explain them. I hope it proves to be a helpful primer. I do not believe I have a full grasp on each of these senses, but again I hope this gives some idea as to how the senses of interpretation were used to “get deeper into the meaning.”

The literal or historical sense is applicable to both a historical event and literary text. The literal sense is emphasized insofar as it historically grounds subsequent spiritual interpretation. Every subsequent sense was supposed to be connected then to the literal sense.

The allegorical sense then is used after the literal sense. The allegorical sense has been argued to go all the way back to St. Paul, even Jesus uses allegory in some of this parables. The allegorical sense of Scripture has been understood as referring to the mysteries of Christ and the Church as prefigured in Scripture. So then in the allegorical sense the object of allegory is properly Christ and the Church. Another principal of the allegorical sense in light of the Old Testament is that the object of allegory in reference of the Old Testament is a reality in the future.

The tropological sense applies a Scriptural text to the moral life. This sense, historically, has been a contributing factor for Christian anthropology and spirituality. The tropological and allegorical senses are united because while the allegorical sense refers to Christ and Church, the tropological sense refers to the individual members of the Body of Christ.

Finally the analogical sense is the eschatological sense of Scripture that looks forward to the consummation of everything in Christ at his final coming. In light of this we can kinda begin to see how these senses work all together. For instance, the anagogical sense represents the fulfillment of allegorical sense.

This was all supposed to find Christ, but more often than not, theologians went much further afield. This is why Luther was very weary of it. The medieval Church came up with some fanciful interpretations that had absolutely nothing to do with Christ.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

Abraham and His Fear

One day, when God came to visit, Abram appears to be having a crisis. The life of faith in this world is never mountaintop after mountaintop experience. After a time of great triumph and glorifying of God, Abraham is now low. He is worried that God had not given him a son. I do not why this is the case for God’s faithful, perhaps it happens to keep us from getting too puffed up in ourselves. The situation certainly happened to Abram and it still happens to us now.

In such times, we fear that God has abandoned us one way or another or when His promise has faded we should remember this prayer: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” Only when we are made free from this sinful world by our physical death and brought into the new heaven and new earth on the last day will we finally see the fullness of the things which we hope for in faith, just as Abraham. And so here we are with Abram being told now to fear not. Do not be anxious, but make known your petitions and supplications to the Lord in prayer.

The external word of God is spoken into Abraham’s ears, just as it spoken into your own when you hear your pastor proclaim God’s Word. By God’s grace Abraham had faith in God’s promise, just as you believe in the promises of God. Abraham knew how God had spoken and fulfilled what He promised in the past. The one who speaks is faithful to His Word.

Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham received the physical son, Isaac, but as the author of the book of Hebrews and Paul tell us Abraham trusted in the promise of the physical One seed who would come, that being Jesus Christ, who would save Abraham and the whole world from the wrath of sin and eternal death by his own sacrificial death on the cross. Jesus himself tells the Jews that Abraham rejoiced at Jesus’ day. For the city which Abraham desired to enter was not a physical city, but the Holy city of God — the heavenly Jerusalem.

Let’s not be anxious about the trials in our lives, for God does and will provide. He who has spoken is faithful to His Word. Like Abraham, who did not see all the promises fulfilled in his lifetime, let us not fear. Rather let us rejoice in the Lord for what He has done and continues to do for us that we might be considered His children.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

The Rich Fool

How often do we hear that it is our God given right to have everything and more? How often are we told that over-abundance is a thing to strive for? We do not want to have to depend on anyone or anything. We want the American dream, the acres of land, the warm home, the children, and to be left the heck alone. We want to rest and be merry, eating and drinking without cares in the world. And so, we are told the lie that we need to fight and claw for everything we have and make sure that it can never be taken away. “Be on your guard,” says Jesus when he preaches the parable of the rich fool. Covetousness is idolatry. We become the gods we serve.

The rich man had won the game. He was the top dog in this dog eat dog world. Time to relax and be at peace. And we know the rest of the story. His soul would be required of him that very night. And what would become of all that he had collected on the earth?

And while possessions may not be something that gives you trouble, we covet the rest that we see others living in. We want strife to end in our families, etc. We want to eat drink, and be merry. However, more often than not, we find ourselves hungry, afraid, and alone. We covet peace.

Jesus says to be on our own guard. And we should take him to heart. But we should also take heart in his warning. In warning, Jesus shows how deeply he cares for us. He does not want anyone to forfeit the one thing that makes us rich towards God, namely Himself.

Jesus is the one thing that truly matters. He is the one who has won for you and then continues to give you the forgiveness of sins. He is the one who actually has procured rest for you. By His blessed passion and death, He is the one who has not only laid up for us treasure in heaven, but calls you to come to his feast to truly eat, drink, and be merry. So come to the feast thereby guarding yourself against all covetousness, valuing the richness of your Savior Jesus.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

God’s Delight

We should know Who Wisdom is. God the Father did not create alone; this act of creation was Trinitarian in nature. We know the Spirit was there from Genesis, as the Spirit hovered over the waters. But Wisdom, the eternal Son of God was there and played a critical role. John says in his prologue.

Jesus is Wisdom, the master workman who is the with the Father before the world was created and in whom the Father delights. And Jesus rejoiced before the Father. It was in this joy that the world was created. Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together to bring all things into being and after working those 6 days, on the seventh God called his work very good and rested.

Wisdom is seen rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of men. They are his inheritance after all. Jesus delighted in the children of men prior to the fall. And even in that great fall into sin, joy would be a driving force for God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to bring about man’s redemption and his salvation.

It is sad to consider how many people think God is a momentary fix for a horrifically bad moment in life. A divorce, a flood, whatever it may be. God is only needed when things get extremely bad. That makes God into a very small God. In so doing we make God in our own image, breaking that first commandment, making God fit our own fleeting needs. That is not who God is at all. He is the one who created, redeemed and keeps holy. And you now wish to form Him?

God the Father delights in his Son. Even after the creation fell into sin and was cursed to die for our sins, the Father still loved the Son, because Jesus chose to come, to die for you many sins, and rise for your justification. The author to the Hebrews talks about Jesus this way: “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Joy was driving force. Jesus delights in saving you, that you might be reconciled to His Father in Heaven.

Now, Wisdom has built the Church, calling us to table. Delight in what our Lord delights to give to us: Salvation.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

The Highlight Reel

One of my favorite shows used to be Baseball Tonight because they showed all the highlights of the baseball games. It was a way to get the great plays of all the games.

In a similar way, we have our own highlight reel, though it probably is not a reel that we want others to see. It is the highlight reel of our sins. You see Satan just loves to drudge up our past offenses, our past faults, the things we have done or left undone. And more often than not he also gives a pretty colorful commentary on them as well. He plagues our conscience with it all the time. And the highlights continue to be added to because we continue to fall into sin some way or another.

As I was reading and studying for John 21, I ran across the idea that it gives some pretty neat highlights of the Ministry of Jesus, recalling the calling of the disciples away from their fishing nets, Peter’s confession, the feeding of the 5,000 with bread and fish, etc. But these events in John 21 are more than replays of the highlights.

Jesus is risen from dead! Jesus as we learned from his first appearance to the disciples in the locked room, does not come to his disciples with vengeance on his mind. He comes to bring peace. He comes to bring forgiveness.

Though we have been given His peace, we still are bombarded with the assaults of the devil. Satan still comes in with our highlights of sins and replays them over and over, accusing us. And we tend to forget about the peace which Jesus gives. Instead we tend to be afraid and begin to fear interacting with God. But we need not be afraid.

But every time we gather in the place where Jesus promises to be for us and for our salvation, the highlights of Jesus’ death and resurrection for us gets put into our mind. We get to say to Satan, “I am baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. I am saved by Christ.” And with Paul we get to say, “As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” These are the Jesus’ highlights but He makes them yours every time you receive His Word and Sacraments. May we be ever mindful of what our Lord has done for us, that we may always believe it.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

The House that Wisdom Built

The book of Proverbs has a unique role in the history of doctrine in the Church, especially the Greek word for Wisdom (σοφός). The Greek word is feminine in the rules of language, and so when Wisdom is personified throughout the book of Proverbs such as Proverbs 8 and 9, people are sometimes uneasy to ascribe this to Jesus. But Jesus is the Wisdom or Torah of God in the flesh, and He has built the house, and he is the one who calls out for all to come to his feast.

We have our reading from Proverbs matched up with our final reading from John 6, the great discourse where Jesus calls himself “the bread of life.” In our reading from John 6 we see Jesus tell all who would hear, “whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Wisdom in Proverbs 9, effectively says the same thing. “Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

Wisdom speaks like Jesus speaks. We are called to walk in His ways. Jesus Himself says He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. That is where true life is, and we get that life through the bread that Jesus/Wisdom feeds us.

Following His his call we go to His House, the Church, which he has built and onward to the table which He has prepared and eat of the bread he has made, and drink of the wine he has mixed in our presence that we might have life and walk in His way to the glory of the Lord’s name forevermore.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

Being Gathered Around the Bread of Heaven

Faith is not something that is our own initiative. Jesus tells us that much on a number of occasions but in John 6, Jesus is explicit about how the Father draws us. It is the Lord’s doing. And that is a message of wonderful comfort to us who can fall into despair.

Elijah was such a man who needed comfort. He was in despair so it appears even after that wonderful event at Mount Carmel. Jezebel wants him dead. Elijah flees and heads out to the wilderness. The wilderness is not a place to go alone. In the Old Testament, the wilderness is considered a place of testing, you might like to think of as spiritual testing. Elijah’s own feelings lead him to cry out to the Lord, effectively begging the Lord to take his life because he was no better than his fathers (other prophets). Elijah is not seeing the Word of the Lord converting the hearts of his hearers. So he is tired and worn out.

Elijah receives comfort from the very Angel of the LORD. I like to think this is the 2nd Person of the Trinity, in his Pre-Incarnate state. We also need to remember the blessing of this food. The cake (or bread) is not made by man. Man was supposed to eat bread by the sweat of his brow. This bread is made by the Son, for the strengthening of Elijah’s faith and also his body. For later at Horeb, the Lord is gracious to him telling him that Elijah’s preaching is not in vain. 7000 were kept safe from bowing down to Baal.

The Sacrament of the Altar is for the weak and despairing needing to be strengthened by the Words of Jesus, specifically “for you”. We are indeed weak, and the christian walk under the cross is too great for us to go it alone. Jesus tells us that much too in our reading from John 6. We don’t initiate or activate our faith. We don’t initiate our coming to Jesus. And we don’t initiate the strengthening of our faith either, rather we are drawn and gathered around the living bread of heaven which came down from heaven being sent by the Father. And who the Father gives to his Son the Son will never cast out. What peace and comfort we have in the coming of this Jesus, our bread of life.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO