Luther for the Busy Man

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - SATURDAY LESSON: ROMANS 8:1-9 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17 What are we to learn from Christ’s interpretation of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount? First, you should learn that if you were to be judged by your obedience to the Law, you would have to be condemned as a chil...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - FRIDAY LESSON: LUKE 12:57-59 “Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:25-26 We do injury to our neighbor in many ways. When I do not protect his g...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - THURSDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 18:21-35 “If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 There are two parties here. One has committed a wrong against another man; he must ask forgivene...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - WEDNESDAY LESSON: 1 PETER 1:22-25 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15 It is quite clear from Christ’s interpretation in this Gospel that we are all guilty of breaking the commandment, “You shall not kill.” He who is not born again from God cannot possibly ever throw off the charge of murder....

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - TUESDAY LESSON: ROMANS 10:5-13 “Whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.” Matthew 5:21 Christ here interprets the law of Moses and pronounces a judgment which applies all over the world. What man on this earth is not guilty of breaking this commandment? What will we do now in the face of the necessity of keeping this commandment while not being able to do so? We cannot s...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - MONDAY LESSON: PSALM 1 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgement.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:2...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - SUNDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 5:20-26 “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 The scribes and Pharisees led a life of such a kind that both they themselves as well as other people were of the opinion that they would gain the kingdom of heaven as a result. But they were very wide of...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - SATURDAY LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:11-15 “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” Luke 5:10 This is an evangelical word by which weak hearts may obtain consolation. We have seen in this Gospel how God looks after our bodily needs. He provided Peter with so many fish when he would have probably had enough with two or so. God also fills Peter so richly spiritual...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - FRIDAY LESSON: PSALM 143 If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Psalm 130:3-4 When you feel your sins and become like Peter with a desire to run away from God, you must turn around and get closer and closer to Him. For if God were disposed to flee from you and were not willing to take...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - THURSDAY LESSON: ROMANS 5:18-21 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken. Luke 5:8-9 We may take Peter here as an example of those who are to believe in the eternal blessings and actually see them. A sinful consc...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - WEDNESDAY LESSON: ROMANS 8:31-39 Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:5 God’s children must learn to combine their works with hope. God can delay results and sometimes deems it fitting to do so. If God keeps you in suspense for a time and lets you work in the sweat of you...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - TUESDAY LESSON: 2 THESSALONIANS 3:6-13 When he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4 Jesus says here in effect: “Let down your nets and do the work that belongs to a fisherman and let Me do the worrying. I do not want you to worry but to work.” We always want to change this procedure. We want to do the wo...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - MONDAY LESSON: LUKE 12:13-21 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23-24 Paul gives a vivid description of what happens when men give way to unbelief (1 Timothy...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - SUNDAY LESSON: LUKE 5:1-11 When they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish, and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. Luke 5:6-7 First of all, let us note here that those who believe in Christ will also have enough for their bodil...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IV - SATURDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 7:1-5 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned.” Luke 6:37 Jesus is speaking here of uncharitable judging and condemnation, forming a good or bad opinion about something that cannot really be seen from the outside but is a judgement that only God can make. It can happen that you see your neighbor sinning on...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IV - FRIDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 6:1-4 “Do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” Luke 6:35 In these words, Jesus outlines a basic Christian principle which involves our earthly property and its use in relieving the needs of our neighbor and helping him. Our earthly property should always be at the disposal of our neighbor. We should lend to our neighbor and give to him where...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IV - THURSDAY LESSON: JAMES 2:14-17 Brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:10-11 Good works should always be a sure sign to me, resembling a seal on a letter, to make me certain that my fai...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IV - WEDNESDAY LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1-2 What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? I Corinthians 4:7 We must always receive before we can give. Before we practice mercy, we must receive mercy from God. We never lay the first stone. The sheep does not seek out the shepherd, but the shepherd the sheep. See to it,...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IV - TUESDAY LESSON: HEBREWS 11:17-19 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 Someone may wonder how we can reconcile what...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IV - MONDAY LESSON: PSALM 89:1-4 The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Exodus 34:6 Where mercy is not practiced, there is no Christian faith. If your heart is established in faith, so that you know and realize how merciful and good God has proved Himself to be as far as you are concerned, without any me...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IV - SUNDAY LESSON: LUKE 6:36-42 “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36 Jesus is not speaking here of the kind of mercy that human reason commends and suggests to us. This is a mercy which is selfish and self-seeking, which gives to those who are important and learned, to those who have earned it and merited it, to those whom it loves or who are beautiful, to...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY III - SATURDAY LESSON: LUKE 19:1-10 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15 If you feel your sins biting you, and your heart is wavering and beginning to tremble, take your place on the side where the tax collectors are standing, for they are the people for whom the Gospel is intended. Do this quite...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY III - FRIDAY LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7 “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 When sinners come to Christ in response to the invitation of the Gospel, He does not reproach them with their sins. He remains silent and covers their sins. He could put us to shame and trample us underfoot, as the Pharisees do, but He does not do that. At th...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY III - THURSDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 18:10-14 He told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors,...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY III - WEDNESDAY LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 7:5-13 “I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15:7 In the example of Christ, we are shown how we are to conduct ourselves towards sinners. Inwardly, in our heart, we must be prepared to serve them; outwardly, with the tongue, we should a...