Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity (1905)

John 4:47-54 God here sends according to His kindness and wisdom to His Christians either both good and bad days, good luck and bad luck, etc. Even in good days the Christian proves himself as a Christian, "as a servant of God"1; he is not proud and arrogant2; lives a God-fearing life3; continues in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving4; allows himself to be guided by God's goodness to repentance.5 But many endure shipwreck in faith in such times, forget prayer, are proud. This is why God sometimes sends tribulation and cross again to every Christian. And because the Christian should also prove to be a Christian. The Christian under the Cross. The example of the king shows: 1. He pleadingly takes his refuge in Christ in his cross. a. That the king did. He was a Christian. Otherwise would he have already sought out Jesus?6 This Christian lay under a heavy cross: his only son ( ) was terminally ill. He took pleading his refuge to Jesus.7 b. Thus the Christian always does. The cross comes to his house, he is ill himself, or he has ailing, dying family members, earthly want occurs, etc., and the like, then he turns pleading and begging to the Lord in particular. Even in spiritual need. 8 Thus you push something, you then can do nothing else, you must say it and complain about it to the loving God, so you realize from this that you are a Christian. A non-Christian grumbles in such circumstances and seeks what is unpleasant in anything, even if it gets rid of sinful ways again. But if the Christian in his cross pleadingly takes refuge in Christ, 2. he obtains help in his cross. a. This the king learns. Although not immediately and also not in the way he first meant9; but yet wonderfully, through pleading and understanding.10

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2 Corinthians 6:4, 8. 1 Timothy 6:17-18. 3 Job 1:1-10; Hebrews 11:24-26. 4 Psalm 103:1-5, 106:1. 5 Romans 2:4. 6 John 4:47. 7 John 4:47, 49. 8 Psalm 50;15; Luke 11:13. 9 John 4:47-49. 10 John 4:50-52.

b. All Christians learn the same in their cross, taking their refuge in Christ. This is also promised.11 Although not always immediately12 but at last even if not always as they suppose.13 If you only knew, dear Christian, not to speak about it from experience, as you were in trouble, but as you called, God helped you, or when He was lying on the cross for you, this served you for your best? Then you will have learned what we wish to hear: 3. The Christian is always complete in his Christianity in his cross. a. The example of the king shows this. He was complete . in his faith. How weak was he in his faith as he came to Christ14; but how his faith is strengthened by the temptation that Christ moves away with His help, by means of the Word.15 Thereby he learns to remember His Word and to ground his faith in it alone.16 . in sanctification.17 His faith burst out in words and deeds: he converted his whole family to Christ. b. So also still today. Under the cross through the Word, for which the Christian respects ever better . the Christian faith completely, more strongly. He here learns to disregard everything else, and trust from the heart the written Words of God.18 . also in sanctification.19 Examine yourself whether God attains all this for you through the cross. Monst.

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Psalm 50:15; John 16:23; Mark 11:24. John 2:4. 13 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. 14 John 4:47-49. 15 John 4:48. 16 John 4:50, 53. 17 John 4:53b. 18 Isaiah 28:19; KELG 234:10. 19 Romans 5:3-5; KELG 380:4 (ELH 256:4); Psalm 119:67.