Luther for the Busy Man

THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS XII LESSON: ROMANS 5:15-17 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15 He who does not have the faith which believes that Christ with His every blessing is his very own, does not have true faith, and is not a Christian. His heart also cannot be truly joyful and happy. For true faith will make Christians joyful and happy, sure and blessed...

THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS XI LESSON: EPHESIANS 1:11-14 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30 It is quite certain that Christ has been given to us so that all His righteousness, and also all that He has and is, stands before us as though He is our very own possession. He who be...

THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS X LESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17 Put on Christ. Galatians 3:27 What is meant by “putting on Christ”? The unbelievers have a ready answer here. They say it means following Christ and measuring up to His example. But in this way I could also put on St. Peter, Paul, and other saints, and putting on Christ would have no special significance at all. Therefore we let f...

THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS IX LESSON: ROMANS 6:1-4 Now before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of...

THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - NEW YEAR LESSON: GALATIANS 3:23-29 In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Galatians 3:26 The reason why St. Paul always stresses the need of faith in Christ is because he knew that men would have the presumption actually to suggest that man can have dealings with God outside of Christ, just as if God and our human nature were quite good friends, and a...

THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS VII LESSON: PSALM 43 He [John the Baptist] was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. John 1:8 The Gospel endures no other doctrine beside itself; it simply wants to be a witness to Christ and lead men to this light, namely Christ. Therefore these words, “He was not the light,” are worthy of being written in large letters and carefully noted...

THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS VI LESSON: JOHN 12:35,36 The life was the light of men. John 1:4 The thinking of human philosophy draws us away from Christ into ourselves. The evangelist wants to draw us away from ourselves to Christ. He refuses to deal with the divine, almighty, eternal Word of God and to speak about Him, except in the flesh and blood in which He walked here on earth. He d...

THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS -CHRISTMAS V LESSON: ROMANS 5:6-11 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4 The evangelist says, “In him was life,” as though he were speaking of something in the past, and not, “In him is life.” But this must not be understood as a reference to the time before the world or the beginning. For the evangelist does not say here, “In the beginning there w...

THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS IV LESSON: 1 John 1:1-4 He was in the beginning with God. John 1:2 These are statements on which our faith is based and to which we must cling. That there are three persons in the Godhead and that each person is completely the whole of the one God absolutely transcends all the powers of our reason. Moreover, there are not three Gods, but one God. Our schoolm...

THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS III LESSON: JOHN 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 “The Word was with God.” Where else could the Word be? Outside of God there was nothing. Moses also says this when he writes, “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Genesis 1:3. In order to speak, He had to have the Word with Him. There is a clear d...

THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS II LESSON: LUKE 2:15-20 They made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child. Luke 2:17 The faith of the shepherds produced action. St. Paul says, “The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20. So also here. The shepherds do not only say, “Let us go and see!” but they actually went; indeed, they do more t...

CHRISTMAS DAY -  CHRISTMAS LESSON: LUKE 2:1-14 In that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with fear. And that angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you...

ADVENT - WEEK 4 - CHRISTMAS EVE LESSON: 1 JOHN 3:1-10 I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. John 1:23 If you can now believe that the voice of John is true, fix your eyes in the way he is pointing and recognize the Lamb of God who is taking your sin upon Himself. You are victorious. You are a Christian, a lord over sin, death, hell, and all things.  Your conscience must also be joyful an...

THE FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT - TUESDAY LESSON: MALACHI 4:1-6 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, I am not.” John 1:21 In the question whether John was Elijah, the Jews were evidently referring to the prophecy of Malachi. I am of the opinion that Malachi had in mind no other Elijah but John, and that there are no grounds for assuming that there would be a return of Elijah the Tis...

THE FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT - MONDAY LESSON: 1 JOHN 1:5-10 He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” John 1:20 The confession of John contains two parts: first, that he confesses; secondly, that he does not deny. His confession is the confession of Christ when he says that he is not the Christ. He confessed: “I am not the Christ.” His confession also includes the confessio...

THE FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT - SUNDAY LESSON: JOHN 1:19-28 This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” John 1:19 What were the Jews from Jerusalem seeking? Christ tells us when He says, “You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. . . He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his l...

THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT - SATURDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 18:1-9 Blessed is he who takes no offense at me. Matthew 11:6 Be on your guard against all and every offense. Who are those who cause offense here? All those who tell you to concentrate on works instead of faith. Such teachers turn Christ into a lawgiver and a judge and will not let Him remain a pure helper and comforter. They plague you with the...

THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT - FRIDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 7:15-27 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” Matthew 11:4-6 Our faith is strengthened and improved inasmuch as C...

THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT - THURSDAY LESSON: PSALM 98 Christ Jesus our hope. 1 Timothy 1:1 The Greek word for Gospel [euaggelion] means “a joyful message” because in it there is proclaimed the salutary doctrine of life by God’s assurance and grace, and the forgiveness of sins is offered us. So the Gospel is not a matter of works, for it is not Law. The Gospel is a matter of faith alone, because it...

THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT - WEDNESDAY LESSON: ROMANS 1:16,17 The gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24 The Gospel is neither Law nor command; it makes no demands on us. If wretched distress and misery in the heart have come about through the first word of the Law, the Gospel comes as a loving and living word; it promises and assures us, undertaking to give us grace and help so that we may get out...

THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT - TUESDAY LESSON: 1 Timothy 1:8-11 The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good . . . but I am carnal, sold under sin. Romans 7:12,14 The law is the word by which God teaches us and instructs us in what we are to do and not to do, as He does in the Ten Commandments. Where nature stands alone, without God’s grace, it is impossible to keep God’s Law for the...

THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT - MONDAY LESSON: PSALM 85 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Isaiah 61:1,2 What does Jesus mean when He says, “The poor...

THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT - SUNDAY LESSON: MATTHEW 11:2-10 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted. Isaiah 61:1 Kings and priests are normally anointed to a kingdom and priesthood respectively. But this anointed King and Priest, Isaiah says here, is to be anointed by God Himself, not with any temporal oil but with the Holy Spiri...

THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT - SATURDAY LESSON: ROMANS 15:4-13 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” Luke 21:29-31 These are words of sheer joy! Jesus does not give a parable for a...

THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT - FRIDAY LESSON: ISAIAH 11:1-10 Thy kingdom come. Matthew 6:10 Even though the Lord’s Prayer is prayed on all sides throughout the world by countless numbers of people, there are really only very few who pray it correctly. For all but a very few would much prefer that there should never be any day of the Lord’s coming. What else is this but to wish that God’s kingdom shou...