Since salvation is entirely by His grace, we do not need to pretend that we are better than we actually are. We are not saved by God’s work and our own good works. There is no “God and…” in the equation of our salvation, only God. God the Father sent His Son to save us. Jesus died and rose again for our salvation. God the Holy Spirit applies the perfect life, forgiveness, and salvation of Jesus to us through the powerful Word. God does it all.

His death on the cross ransoms you from each one of your sins. You might feel great shame for something you have done in the past. You might wonder if God forgives even that terrible sin that maybe no one else knows about. You might think that your repeated sinning disqualifies you from His grace. The first thing Jesus said after He was nailed to the cross was, “Father, forgive them” (Luk. 23:34). And one of the last things He said on the cross was, “It is finished!” (Joh. 19:30). The work to redeem your soul was not just started by Jesus; He completed it. You might not always think you are forgiven. You might not always feel forgiven. But your sins are forgiven. Jesus says so.

It does not matter how old you are or how long you have been in the church. You need to keep hearing and learning the Word of God. Jesus says that the ones who are greatest in the kingdom of heaven are the ones who “become like children,” who humble themselves like children. Children have a lot to learn. They need to be taught. And so do you and I. We should have a hunger for the Word of God. We should fill up on it every day. If our children see us doing this, they will learn to do it too.

Now could it be, that Jesus has brought you to the Christian faith, giving you a living hope, and put here at this time in history, in a particular family, community, workplace or school, to bring that hope to others that you meet? We know that God has put you here in this place and time. And you serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Jesus says: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles [meaning unbelievers] seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” Your heavenly Father knows. He knows what you need for this life. He hasn’t let you down yet, and He won’t. He knows what you need better than you do, so you can trust that whatever comes your way is a gift of His grace.

For all this, we are, as Martin Luther writes, “in duty bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him” (Explanation to First Article). The heart that He has redeemed and cleansed by His precious blood should be filled with fear, love, and trust for Him. The hands that He freed by offering His hands to the nails should be employed in God-pleasing work and for the help of our neighbors. The voices that He has loosed from the cries of misery and woe in our former lost condition should be utilized for the praise of His glorious name and the proclamation of His grace.

You have not perfectly loved your neighbors, but Jesus perfectly loved you. If you could look through His eyes and see how He thinks of you, you would be stunned. How could anyone love me like that? He loved you all the way to the cross where He paid for your sins of self-centeredness, pride, and resentment. He suffered there as though He were the heartless priest and Levite who ignored the dying man. He gave Himself fully to redeem you, to justify you, to save you.

The victory that Jesus won over sin, death, and the devil is now declared to you. Your ears which have been tempted to listen to what is false, lawless, self-serving, and seductive, He has filled with the comforting words of His forgiveness. Your tongue which has often been used for words of anger, disrespect, lies, and gossip, He washes clean by His holy blood and loosens for His praise.

Jesus was the only truly good person who ever walked the earth. He perfectly obeyed the Commandments of God. He loved God and every single one of His neighbors without hesitation or failure. Because He lived that life while wearing our human flesh, all His perfect, holy works count for you. His generosity covers over your greed. His kindness covers over your judgmental attitude. His humility covers over your pride. His sacrifice covers over your selfishness. All that God’s holy Law required of you, Jesus fulfilled for you and supplies to you.

We know where to find peace, or rather how to find peace. Peace is found wherever the Prince of Peace is graciously present. Peace is found in His holy Word. Peace is found in His holy Sacraments. Through these means, God the Holy Spirit plants and pours peace into your heart. He brings you this peace through Jesus wherever you may be—in church, in your home, at work, on the road—wherever His Words of Peace are spoken, heard, or remembered.

Our greatest treasure is the grace we have received from God through the work of Jesus Christ. We might lose our home someday and our possessions and everything in our investment accounts. But even if we are left penniless and homeless, that will not change what we have in Christ, the riches that are ours by faith in Him. That is a “higher good,” than all the unrighteous wealth of the world.

Jesus does not say that the knowledge you gained in the past will automatically carry you to the finish line. He says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Joh. 8:31-32). He wants us to remain in His Word, live in it, soak it up like a sponge, meditate on it, talk about it with others, hear it, learn it, pray it. This is the best inoculation and protection against the devil’s attacks that we can have.