"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be every one who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law, and do them" Galatians 3:10

"For Christ is the end of the law, that everyone who has faith may be justified" Romans 10:4

If we are rightly to understand the Holy Scriptures we must learn to think according to the paradoxes that we find in the Scripture. For example, we have the paradox of Christ Himself who is both 100% God and 100% Man. There is the paradox of the Lord's Supper in which we receive the very body and blood of Christ under mere bread and wine. Then there is the paradox of our own Christian existence for we live as men and women who are 100% sinners and yet for Christ's sake we are 100% saints. In last week's sermon we heard of the paradox of God's law- that is the law of God- His most salutary, clear, and holy teaching about righteousness cannot advance human beings the least in the pursuit of righteousness, but in fact is an obstacle in the way of righteousness.

With some aid from Martin Luther's Heidelberg Thesis, we want to explore two more paradoxes this evening:

"Although the works of man always seem attractive and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins" (Thesis 3)

"Although the works of God are always unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless eternal merits" (Thesis 4)

God sets human works in contrast to His own work. Human good works look splendid. They appear to be good. Nevertheless, Luther says, they are likely to be deadly sins. We have proof in this in Jesus' words to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:27: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Jesus' directs His words not to the works that we know to be evil- the works of murder, theft, fornication, lying and the like. Clearly those despicable works do not help us achieve salvation. Indeed they are the fruits of unbelief and the habits of hell. Our Lord, instead, turns to the works that appear to be good works. Works like tithing and fasting, giving to the poor and saying your prayers. Those are the works that get us in trouble because it is so easy to slip into the way of thinking that reasons "because I do these things that God demands in His Law, I am a righteous person and God must therefore accept me."

Such a way of thinking is a denial of Jesus Christ. It is a denial of the fact that only Jesus Christ makes sinners righteous and holy. Righteousness comes from Him alone and not from the works of the Law-even the good works of the Law. The Prophet Isaiah says that all of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags in God's eyes. To cling to your good works is sin. No matter how attractive those works may seem, they are utterly sinful if they are done apart from faith in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That is why Luther declares "Although the works of man always seem attractive and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins."

Now the second paradox that we would meditate on this evening is but the flip side of the first paradox. Luther writes, "Although the works of God are always unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless really eternal merits." Just as there is the temptation to view the outward appearance of righteous works as good when in fact they are catacombs for the rot and decay of sin or filthy rags made vile by the presence of rebellion against God, so there is the temptation to look upon the work of God as something unattractive and even evil. We think that are good works ought to impress God. And we think that God ought to be an awesome God, and impressive deity.

There's only one problem here. God doesn't think or act that way. His greatest works are lowly, unimpressive, and even downright repulsive. God's greatest work took place in the midst of gushing blood, sweaty anguish, and painful tears as the One who was without sin twitches in agony as His hands and feet are nailed to a Roman cross. In that act of awful ugliness, God worked atonement for sinners of all time. He did it by using one of the cruelest devices of torture ever to be created by human beings- a cross. Now we refer to that tool of capital punishment as the holy cross, for by that twisted tree of torment, God has won forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation for this sinful world.

When you look upon the events of Calvary you see nothing of heaven and everything of hell. You hear the mocking and the taunting. You see the sinless Son of God cry out in God-forsakeness: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" You see Him die in suffering and shame. Yet we call that Friday, Good Friday for in the repulsiveness and ugliness of that day, God brought salvation to sinners.

When you look at the way that God delivers the redemption that He achieved for us on the cross, it still looks lowly and unimpressive. God brings His miraculous faith-creating power in simple and ordinary water, called "Baptism." God uses the mouth of sinful men to proclaim His Word, a Word that actually gives and bestows the forgiveness of sins. With something so mundane as bread and wine, God gives us His true body and blood to eat and to drink with our mouths. As Luther says "the works of God are always unattractive and appear evil."

The great works of God are not the spectacular things that we do but those lowly and unattractive things that the Lord does. Things like sweating in Gethsemane's garden and having His life drained from Him on a Roman cross. Things like washing us with a handful of water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and planting a word in our ear that gives birth to faith. The paradoxes that we have heard tonight characterize our journey in the cross of Christ. In them lies the very wisdom of God- a wisdom that the world can never know. But they come to you, by grace, that you might see what others do not see, and rejoice in what others despise. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting.