https://assets-cdn2.dropwave.io/086174f0-efbe-400f-a3e9-b91549a26ab7/media/Trinity 12 AD 2026_Sem Malmstrom.mp3

https://app.dropwave.io/show/our-savior-lynchburg/trinity-12-ad-2026-sem-malmstrom

Ave Christus Rex

Introduction: Do you ever get the feeling that you are not enough? I know I do. It’s a pretty crummy feeling. As though no matter what you do, it’s not enough. And… you’re not exactly wrong. In today’s Epistle, St. Paul touches on our own unworthiness and failings where he writes about not being sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves and the true reason why we receive anything: it’s all a gift. Even your trust in God is a gift. Because…

OUR SUFFICIENCY IS FROM GOD

I.

Now, I need you to understand, I’m not talking about just feelings of “worthiness” or “worthlessness” here. Let’s back up a bit. No, I’m referring to the “sufficiency” St. Paul writes about in the Epistle appointed for today. Y’know, that we’re not sufficient of ourselves? Take a look at what some of the greatest men in Scripture say: “No one is righteous, no, not one.” (St. Paul). “In sin did my mother conceive me.” (King David) And who can forget where Isaiah says, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” And in Luke, where Jesus calls Simon Peter and a few others after a long night of fishing that was unsuccessful until Jesus showed up: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Are you beginning to notice a theme here? We cannot make ourselves righteous before God whilst remaining in sin. The sin that dwells within us prevents us from being fully righteous by our own efforts. The law demands that the sin which at one time possessed your whole being be put to death, and, because you’re a sinner, that results in a death sentence for you. Because the letter kills. The Law kills. Because sin must be purged in the presence of the Holy One of God.

This is the ministry of death: the purification under the Law, that is, the Old Covenant. It’s so glorious that it causes Moses’ face to shine, and the children of Israel require Moses to hide his face behind a veil. God’s righteousness is so pure that nothing evil can stand before Him and live. It’s glorious because of how pure it is, how pure He is. This ministry of death, the Old Covenant, however, has passed away. The Law isn’t gone. No, the Law still remains, for the Word of the Lord Endures Forever. Neither was the Old Covenant deficient in any way. The standard for purity, for worthiness, hasn’t changed. But something had to change, because all mankind is deficient and bound in sin. So how can anyone be sufficient if perfection is required?

II.

There is a way. Just one. And it’s not anything you can do. You are sufficient because Jesus Christ makes it so. You are sufficient because your sins are forgiven. And this is how God has done it: that while you were yet His enemy, the Father sent His only-begotten Son to die, and then through the Spirit, through the means of grace, delivers His own righteousness to you. As St. Paul writes, “It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy (Rm 9:16).” That’s all there is to it; the righteous live by faith, faith which is not of any human origin, but is a gift of God, an act of divine intervention. You are righteous because God has given you righteousness. Jesus has taken the wrath of God, bearing the full punishment of the Law in your stead, and has given His own righteousness, and all the spoils of His victory to you through Word and Sacrament.

In all those verses I quoted towards the beginning of the sermon, there was something I left out, and that’s the most important part. Sorry about that. Where Isaiah and the disciples recognized their own sinfulness, God comes to them and forgives their sins. God makes them sufficient, and the same is true for you: God makes you sufficient to receive everything He has promised through the blood of Christ, distributed through the means of grace. It really is that simple. You can’t look to yourself for assurance and comfort, because you already know how many times you’ve failed. Rather, Look to Christ and everything He has done and promised. It’s all a gift. Everything. You dwell under the New Covenant, instituted by Christ, which is far more glorious than the Old, for the final sacrifice has been made on behalf of all, and which you have received. The Cross is far more glorious, for in the holy cross of Jesus, all your sins are covered by the blood of the Lamb.

Conclusion: You don’t have to “be enough.” Your sufficiency is from God. Christ is sufficient when you are not. You are sufficient, not by anything of yourself, but by the work of God Himself. Jesus has taken away all your sin on the cross, by shedding His own blood. And so it is that you can trust Him. Not because you never failed Him, but because He has never and will never fail you. Amen.

+ The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. +