His Message

Whoever believes in Him shall live eternally. He who believes and performs the duties of his office shall be a king and an emperor in heaven; he shall be like the angels. Thus Christ’s kingdom is to consist in His message.
But who can perceive this? You are not to see it. His rule and His sermon are a testimony. And now whoever wishes to be justified before God must hear this Witness, that is, the Preacher. His is a sermon that bears witness solely of things not seen and heard in law books or anywhere else in the world. It testifies of something that no one has seen. Here you find the Messiah portrayed and described as a Preacher, as all the prophets had foretold. Preaching is to mark His realm and rule. In His testimony we find all wisdom, life, and truth; for He bears witness of what He Himself has seen and heard. If He had not seen and heard this, He could not reveal it and bear witness. What He preaches is not a fiction or a figment of His imagination; it deals with the things He has seen, for He is God’s Son, and He knows the depth of God’s will and wisdom and of the Father’s counsel. To this He bears witness.The last time we heard why the sermon of the Lord Christ is called a testimony; it is a message not comprehended by reason. But reason must give ear and be informed. The kingdom of the Messiah is to be called a witness, which means that it is the Messiah’s office to preach. His sermons are to deal with matters never seen or heard before. –Martin Luther