8th Sunday after TRINITY: Homily

“IN THE STEAD AND BY HIS COMMAND”

Saint Matthew 7. 15-23

8^th Sunday after Trinity: 21 July Anno Domini 2013

Fr Jay Watson SSP

In The Name + of Jesus

   There was Cain, a false prophet and there was Able a true speaker of God’s Word. Never the twain shall meet. “What communion hath light with darkness?” [2 Cor. 6.14b] There was Noah a true prophet and there were scores of scoffing and sweet-talking false prophets: “and God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.” [Gen. 6.5]. There was the most famous of all prophets, Elijah—humble and meek, yet bold in the Lord; and, there were the most foul and pagan prophets of Baal. It was this majority opinion, the man-made words of the Baalim which had the ear of the king—the government (the official church, press, media, and educational establishments); it was these syncretistic, idolatrous, sickly sweet “peace peace where there was no peace” falsehoods that tickled the ears of the people. There was Jeremiah, elect from all eternity to be a faithful (if not successful) prophet of the Trinity—chosen while yet in his mother’s womb to preach the Lord’s Law and Gospel. And, there were the false pastors and faux-shepherds that persecuted him and doomed the people who hardened their hearts in heathen rejection and un-repented sin. There was the apostolic band gathered by Jesus—the “12” who were His ambassadors and prophets to the catholic world; His God-speakers of the New Testament. And there were, are, and always will be the false prophets: the non-called, non-ordained, schismatic, sectarian, self-appointed, misguided, goof-ball, female, homosexual, heterodox, and heretical wolves.

   Christ tells you “beware of false prophets.” Christ informs you that they will not have horns, tales, and speak nasty “hard-truths,” but rather will be wearing sheep’s clothing! Modern day prophets of Baal should not be confused with the 7^th Day Adventists, New-Agers, Mormons, or Jehovah Witnesses. These and other non-Christian pagans are clearly and distinctly outside the scope of Biblical Faith, the Christian Church Catholic.  In our current context, Jesus is talking about false prophets who are conservative and kindly Romanist priests, Orthodox Priests, pro-life and flag waving Protestant “pastors,” and Lutheran Ordained who have given up the Symbols for modernism’s mammon of “church growth” and oprah-fied ecumenical treason.

   Your sinful hearts constantly rebel against God’s Law. Your fallen natures constantly reject that you even do sin. You rationalize, minimize, compartmentalize, and fantasize your trespasses and death-disease into foibles and faults that can be worked out with discipline, spiritual medicine, and American (i.e. Arminian) “stick-with-it-ness.”  REPENT! “If thou return, (repent) then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me.” [Jer. 15. 19] Repent because it is God’s will for you. But beware lest you think that your repentance saves you. Your contrite hearts are not nailed to the Tree, the innocent and pure God/Man’s flesh and blood is crucified, dead, and buried for your freedom and release.

   “Ye shall know them by their fruits” speaks the TRUTH!

   Christ is not talking about the flock but about the Shepherds. Yes, a Christian is known by his/her confession of faith and by the works that then flow automatically from said Christian. But HERE, the prophet is also known by the profession and confession of THE FAITH…not his personal faith, his feelings, plans, blue-prints, visions, programs, or other emotional belches and wind-breakings…but by THE FAITH—the WORD OF THE LORD as contained in Holy Writ and the WORD OF THE LORD (the Sacraments) as established by Christ’s testimony in Holy Writ.

   Does the prophet, that is, the Shepherd (pastor) bring forth for you to eat good fruit or evil fruit? The question is not about you or your sinful appetite but the content of the fruit. The ones dancin’, shuckin’, barking, fore-head slapping, and quoting out of context will be greeted by Christ with “I never knew you, depart from Me.” The ones promoting universalism, synergistic decision theology, women’s ordination, acceptance of homosexuality (or heterosexual fornication), and the murder of unborn children, will be greeted by an angry visage of Judge Jesus pronouncing a guilty verdict “I never knew you, depart from Me.” And I submit by the Word of the Lord, the so-called Lutheran pastors who feed you any other fruit than Jesus Christ and Him Crucified for the forgiveness of your sins will be anathema. Let your shepherd speak only of your sin and death, and let him answer the tragedy with only Jesus’ perfect obedience and life; with Jesus’ perfect atoning suffering and death at Calvary and His resurrected eternal life. Let the true green and vibrant pastor feed you the green fresh living Truth that flows from the Lord’s Body and Blood. The true living fruit which hung ripe upon the Tree of Life is now in drinking cup and eating bowl. This IS His true Body and This IS His true Blood given and shed for you for the remission of your sins. This IS the good/God fruit that makes you everlasting fruit.

In The Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost